Organizer and labor rights activist Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez officially kicked off her Senate campaign on Monday. She is the latest of several Democrats to join the crowded race against Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
“I’m going to win the primary and the general election by working harder than anyone else, by speaking plainly and letting voters know where I stand, and by raising more money and talking to more voters than any other candidate,” Ramirez, who appears to be vying for the progressive lane of the Democratic primary, told The Signal in a statement.
She supports Medicare for All, the single-payer government healthcare plan.
“I’ve spent the last decade and a half working alongside the people who will reshape Texas and defeat John Cornyn,” she said. “Winning statewide requires building a historic, multi-racial coalition led by young people and people of color. That’s what I’ve spent my whole career doing.”
Tzintzún Ramirez recently left her position as executive director of Jolt, a progressive group she co-founded that successfully mobilizes Hispanic voters. She helped make a name for the organization in the 2018 Democratic primary for Texas governor by unexpectedly endorsing businessman Andrew White over Sheriff Lupe Valdez. The group did throw its support behind the eventual Democratic nominee, Valdez, in her bid against Gov. Greg Abbott.
Tzintzún Ramirez joins other Democrats running for the Senate, including MJ Hegar, Royce West, Amanda Edwards, Chris Bell, and Sema Hernandez. Minus a Texas Monthly retweet of her entry into the race, Cornyn’s Twitter account remained silent Monday morning.
In her campaign video, Tzintzún Ramirez speaks to the emerging culture of hate in our politics. That culture, she says, allows “people to feel like they can target us on the streets of our community,” preumably a reference to the El Paso white terrorism attack that killed 22 people and mamed even more.
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, she said immigration would be her top issue and supported a “massive divestment from ICE and investment in [the Department of Labor] to enforce the rights of immigrant workers and to protect the rights of American workers.”
Photo by Cristina for Texas
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignal.com
