AUSTIN, Texas (AP/Nexstar) — Democratic Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has pushed for police accountability and tougher gun laws after the Uvalde school shooting, announced Monday he will run for U.S. Senate in 2024.
He becomes the second Texas Democrat to embark on what will be a longshot bid to deny Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a third term representing the nation’s biggest red state.
In May, Rep. Colin Allred became the first to enter the race. He says his campaign has since raised more than $6 million. It sets up a rare competitive Democratic primary for a major race in Texas, where decades of Republican dominance has often discouraged bigger-name Democrats from running statewide.
Gutierrez was little known beyond his South Texas district, which includes Uvalde, before a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. He spent the next year making impassioned pleas for tougher gun laws and firings over police waiting more than an hour to confront the gunman.
One-on-one with Gutierrez
The San Antonio Democrat sat down with Nexstar in a one-on-one interview on Monday after launching his campaign to talk about his motivations for running and intentions if elected.
Both on and off camera, Gutierrez has talked frequently about how Uvalde has “changed his life.” While he did not say it was the sole reason he decided to run for higher office, Gutierrez signaled what happened in Uvalde revealed cracks in the system — whether it be law enforcement training or that he hopes can be better addressed as a member of Congress.
“Rural America is hurting tremendously,” he said. “The truth is, a lot of our systems are broken and they need fixing. Texans need to have the benefit of the bargain. Give us the stuff that government is supposed to give.
First, Gutierrez will have to face off against Allred in the Democratic primary race. According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Gutierrez has a little over $300,000 cash on hand as of January. Texas law prevents legislators from fundraising during the legislative session. While Allred is starting the race with millions more, the state senator is confident he can rise to the occasion.
“I’m no stranger to hard races,” he said. “I think that as we focus on the things that are we value most which is working hard talking to people about getting the big things done that we’ve done throughout these last 20 years in public office.”
The Allred campaign in response welcomed Gutierrez to the race, with campaign manager Paige Hutchinson saying in a statement “our campaign is laser-focused on beating Ted Cruz, and we are happy to welcome anyone who shares that mission into this race.”
No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas in nearly 30 years. Former congressman Beto O’Rourke nearly beat Cruz in 2018 — in what was a strong year for Democrats nationally — but was soundly defeated by double digits last year in a challenge against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Both Gutierrez and Allred are likely to draw attention to Cruz voting to reject the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump in 2020. Allred has also accused Cruz of abandoning Texas by going on vacation with his family during a deadly winter storm a few weeks later.
Cruz spokesperson Nick Maddux released the following statement Monday after Gutierrez’s announcement: “We welcome Senator Gutierrez to the race. Texans will now get to watch Colin Allred and Roland Gutierrez slug it out for who can be the most radical leftist in the state. Meanwhile, Sen. Cruz will continue passionately defending Texas and delivering real results for 30 million Texans.”
AUSTIN, Texas (AP/Nexstar) — Democratic Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has pushed for police accountability and tougher gun laws after the Uvalde school shooting, announced Monday he will run for U.S. Senate in 2024.
He becomes the second Texas Democrat to embark on what will be a longshot bid to deny Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a third term representing the nation’s biggest red state.
In May, Rep. Colin Allred became the first to enter the race. He says his campaign has since raised more than $6 million. It sets up a rare competitive Democratic primary for a major race in Texas, where decades of Republican dominance has often discouraged bigger-name Democrats from running statewide.
Gutierrez was little known beyond his South Texas district, which includes Uvalde, before a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. He spent the next year making impassioned pleas for tougher gun laws and firings over police waiting more than an hour to confront the gunman.
One-on-one with Gutierrez
The San Antonio Democrat sat down with Nexstar in a one-on-one interview on Monday after launching his campaign to talk about his motivations for running and intentions if elected.
Both on and off camera, Gutierrez has talked frequently about how Uvalde has “changed his life.” While he did not say it was the sole reason he decided to run for higher office, Gutierrez signaled what happened in Uvalde revealed cracks in the system — whether it be law enforcement training or that he hopes can be better addressed as a member of Congress.
“Rural America is hurting tremendously,” he said. “The truth is, a lot of our systems are broken and they need fixing. Texans need to have the benefit of the bargain. Give us the stuff that government is supposed to give.
First, Gutierrez will have to face off against Allred in the Democratic primary race. According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Gutierrez has a little over $300,000 cash on hand as of January. Texas law prevents legislators from fundraising during the legislative session. While Allred is starting the race with millions more, the state senator is confident he can rise to the occasion.
“I’m no stranger to hard races,” he said. “I think that as we focus on the things that are we value most which is working hard talking to people about getting the big things done that we’ve done throughout these last 20 years in public office.”
The Allred campaign in response welcomed Gutierrez to the race, with campaign manager Paige Hutchinson saying in a statement “our campaign is laser-focused on beating Ted Cruz, and we are happy to welcome anyone who shares that mission into this race.”
No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas in nearly 30 years. Former congressman Beto O’Rourke nearly beat Cruz in 2018 — in what was a strong year for Democrats nationally — but was soundly defeated by double digits last year in a challenge against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Both Gutierrez and Allred are likely to draw attention to Cruz voting to reject the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump in 2020. Allred has also accused Cruz of abandoning Texas by going on vacation with his family during a deadly winter storm a few weeks later.
Cruz spokesperson Nick Maddux released the following statement Monday after Gutierrez’s announcement: “We welcome Senator Gutierrez to the race. Texans will now get to watch Colin Allred and Roland Gutierrez slug it out for who can be the most radical leftist in the state. Meanwhile, Sen. Cruz will continue passionately defending Texas and delivering real results for 30 million Texans.”