Latina voting organizer Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez enters race for Cornyn's Senate seat
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The founder of a Latino progressive group in Texas is joining the growing list of Democrats challenging Republican Senator John Cornyn in 2020.
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez launched her U.S. Senate campaign Monday. She's the founder of a Latino voter mobilization effort called the Jolt Initiative.
Her launch video alludes to this month's mass shooting in El Paso that authorities say was carried out by a gunman who railed against an influx of Hispanics into the United States.
Tzintzún Ramirez says hateful rhetoric has allowed "people to feel like they can target us on the streets of our community."
She joins a Democratic primary field that remains unsettled in Texas after former Rep. Beto O'Rourke passed on another Senate run to seek the White House instead. There are more than half-a-dozen Democrats vying for Cornyn's seat, including:
- State Senator Royce West of Dallas
- Retired Air Force helicopter pilot Mary Jennings (MJ) Hegar
- Houston City Councilwoman Amanda Edwards
- Former Houston area Congressman and Gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)