In aggressive South Texas legislative race, a battle emerges over a candidate’s Hispanic surname

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In one of the vital aggressive statehouse races of the 12 months, the Bexar County GOP accused Democrat Kristian Carranza of coopting a Hispanic surname to enchantment to the San Antonio district’s largely Hispanic inhabitants.

Kris Coons, chair of the Bexar County Republican Celebration, stated throughout a information convention Tuesday that Carranza had crossed out the final identify “Thompson” on a 2023 voter registration software and changed it with “Carranza” a month earlier than she filed to run for workplace.

Carranza, whose authorized final identify was Thompson, formally modified her identify in January 2023, however she has passed by Carranza professionally for at the very least a decade.

Carranza is going through off towards state Rep. John Lujan, a San Antonio Republican, to signify Home District 118 this November.

“It wasn’t until she moved into a proud Hispanic district to run for office that she suddenly changed her name to Carranza,” Coons stated. “The residents of this district should not be fooled but somewhat insulted by such an action.”

Almost two-thirds of the individuals dwelling in Home District 118 are Hispanic, in keeping with state data.

A press launch Monday initially said the get together would file a authorized problem to Carranza’s candidacy. On Tuesday, Coons stated get together officers are nonetheless reviewing a possible lawsuit towards Carranza, however didn’t have a solution when requested about what regulation she violated.

Carranza denied that she modified her identify for political expediency and stated the allegation was one other present of “disrespect for women” from Texas Republicans.

“It’s disrespectful to women across San Antonio and our country who change their names all the time for so many reasons,” she stated in an interview with The Texas Tribune.

Carranza stated the Bexar County GOP was “taking a page” from former President Donald Trump, who final week questioned whether or not Vice President Kamala Harris, whose father is Jamaican and mom is from India, had solely not too long ago determined to establish as Black to enchantment to voters.

“This is an obvious attempt to undermine me and my story because they can clearly see that the voters of House District 118 are ready for change and ready for someone who’s going to roll their sleeves and fight for them, not stand on the sidelines like John Lujan has,” Carranza stated, referring to the incumbent Republican state consultant. “They just can’t believe that that person is a young Latina.”

Carranza, born and raised within the southside of San Antonio, was given her organic father’s surname “Thompson” at delivery. However as a result of she was raised by a single mom, with out the assist of her father, Carranza stated she makes use of her mom’s final identify to honor her. Carranza started the method to legally change her final identify in 2022 and that course of was accomplished in January 2023, in keeping with court docket data. She launched her state Home marketing campaign in September 2023.

She has used the surname Carranza in public for round a decade. She was already going by that identify in 2019 when she was Nevada state director for Julián Castro’s presidential marketing campaign. One among her superiors from a 2015 Reasonably priced Care Act enrollment marketing campaign, Kevin Puleo, additionally advised the Tribune that her colleagues knew her as Carranza then. In a resume from 2016, Carranza recognized herself as “Kristian Carranza Thompson.”

“It just seems, after 30 years, right before her race, that the name gets changed, that’s all we’re questioning,” Coons stated.

Responding to the declare in a press release, Carranza wrote: “Mi nombre es Kristian Carranza and, like it or not, I’m running to stand up for San Antonio families.”

In a press release, Lujan stated Carranza modified her identify for “political reasons.”

“This situation involving a name change for political reasons is not acceptable, and it’s important that all public figures remain accountable to the people they seek to represent,” Lujan stated. “While my opponent will need to address this issue directly with the voters, I want to reiterate my own commitment to transparency and effective representation as the State Representative for District 118.”

This isn’t the primary time the voter registration software with the crossed out identify has been used towards Carranza. Throughout her major race, her Democratic opponent Carlos Quezada additionally put the doc on a marketing campaign mailer.

Lujan was first elected to Home District 118 in 2021 in a particular election the place he beat out Democrat Frank Ramirez by 2.5 proportion factors after the seat was vacated by Democrat Leo Pacheco. In 2022, Lujan received a full time period in workplace by defeating Ramirez once more by 3.7 proportion factors.

The race between Lujan and Carranza is likely one of the few potential flips for Democrats this 12 months. Carranza has raised spectacular quantities of cash in her race to take again a seat that had historically been held by Democrats. She raised $264,000 to Lujan’s $70,000 within the final fundraising cycle which led to June.

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