A Democratic candidate in Texas’s Bexar County is under threat of legal action from the Bexar County Republican Party for allegedly changing her last name to appeal to Hispanic voters in the district.
Kristian Carranza, who legally changed her name from Kristian Thompson in January 2023, is seeking to flip Texas State House District 118 in November.
“Absent Father”
The district, which stretches toward the south and east of San Antonio, is at present represented by Republican John Lujan.
Addressing Newsweek, Carranza said she changed her last name as a tribute to the mother who raised her without her “absent father.”
Key Democratic Target
Carranza blamed Bexar County conservatives for showing a “disregard for women and what it takes to raise a family.”
House District 118, which state records show is around 64% Hispanic, is a critical objective for Texas Democrats in November.
Political Motivations
With 51% of the vote in a special runoff election held in 2021, Lujan won the seat that was previously held by Democrats.
The chair of the Republican Party in Bexar County, Kris Coons, suggested at a news conference on Tuesday that Carranza had changed her name for political reasons.
Threats of Legal Action
According to Coons in a statement to local network KENS 5, “We believe that it was changed possibly to have a beautiful Hispanic last name in a beautiful Hispanic district. That’s it, to influence voters that way.”
Carranza was then threatened with legal action by Coons, though she did not specify under what law.
“Many Women Change Their Names”
In a release to Newsweek, Carranza said: “Once again, Republican extremists are showing their disrespect for women. I take my last name from my single mother who raised me, not my absent father.”
“My mom and grandmother raised me on the Southside—and I’m incredibly proud of my family’s story. We struggled, but my incredibly strong mother and grandmother never quit. Many women change their names for many reasons.”
“Frivolous” Lawsuit Threats
Carranza proceeded to depict the threatened lawsuit as “frivolous,” adding, “The Bexar County Republican Party demonstrates their disregard for women and what it takes to raise a family.”
She went on to say: “We see that in the most extreme abortion ban in the country that fails to protect the life of the mother. We see it in the Republican Party’s neglect of health care, child care, and the real costs that hit working families. Mi nombre es [my name is] Kristian Carranza, and like it or not, I’m running to stand up for San Antonio families.”
Name Change Concerns
In a release given to KENS 5, Lujan said he likewise had concerns over his Democratic challenger’s name change.
He stated: “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.”
No Legal Basis
Lujan went on to say: “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.”
Joseph Hoelscher, a trial lawyer in San Antonio, let the organization know that the conservative threat of a lawsuit had no basis in the law.
“Nothing Prohibits What She’s Doing”
Hoelscher stated: “The law contemplates that people will use a name that the public may be familiar with even if it’s not that name that they use in private and on their legal documents.
“There’s nothing here that prohibits here what she’s doing.”
Past Use
Hoelscher went on to say: “If you willingly file a lawsuit without grounds, you can be either sanctioned just for doing that or countersued.”
Carranza legally changed her name in January 2023.
“Texas Offensive”
However, Carranza had been using her name professionally for at least a decade, according to The Texas Tribune.
In Houston in July, Democrats in Texas launched the “Texas Offensive.”
The “Texas Offensive” is a statewide campaign to mark 100 days until the 2024 elections.
