Texas Tribune by Patrick Svitek July 10, 2023
Known for pushing gun restrictions after the Uvalde school shooting in his district, Gutierrez will vie for the opportunity to take on Republican Cruz in the general election. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is already running in the primary.State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, announced Monday he is joining the Democratic primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Gutierrez made his campaign official in a nearly four-minute video that starts with him driving to Uvalde, the city in his district where a deadly school shooting took place last year. He says the massacre was about more than guns but also about how Texas leaders have neglected the state, including rural Texas and “systems ... that are supposed to keep us safe.”
“That failure hasn't been isolated,” Gutierrez said. “I'm running against Ted Cruz because everything that we’ve seen in this state has been nothing but taking care of rich people while the poor people, the working class, get screwed over.”
The video also singles out Cruz for his 2021 trip to Cancun during the power-grid collapse in Texas, calling it “just indefensible.” And it also takes shots, briefly, at other state GOP leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Gutierrez’s entrance into the 2024 race has long been expected, and it sets up a primary matchup with U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, who announced his campaign in May.
“Our campaign is laser focused on beating Ted Cruz, and we are happy to welcome anyone who shares that mission into this race,” Allred campaign manager Paige Hutchinson said.
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https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/10/roland-gutierrez-election-ted-cruz/