Throughout a Thursday marketing campaign look in San Antonio, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa attacked incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his response to Winter Storm Uri, one of many worst pure disasters in Texas historical past.
Throughout her speech on the Paper Tiger music venue, Hinojosa — an Austin state consultant — mentioned Abbott and different Republican leaders failed to guide in the course of the 2021 storm that brought about widespread energy outages, tons of of deaths and billions in financial losses. That failure caught Texans with rising power prices throughout and after the storm, she added.
Throughout the storm, pure fuel costs surged as demand elevated and provide disruptions affected the state’s energy grid. Vitality firms obtained billions in funds for pure fuel offered in the course of the disaster, resulting in lawsuits and ongoing disputes over whether or not the costs have been extreme. CPS Vitality, San Antonio’s municipally owned utility, sued Vitality Switch over allegations the power firm engaged in worth gouging in the course of the storm. A jury later dominated in favor of Vitality Switch, rejecting CPS Vitality’s claims.
“Right here in San Antonio, your electrical energy payments are about to should [cover] a $400 million invoice from Vitality Switch,” Hinojosa advised the gang.
“The explanation why we’re paying extra and getting much less is as a result of we’re paying the Greg Abbott corruption tax.”
Thursday’s rally marked the second cease on Hinojosa’s three-city Cash in Your Pocket affordability tour, which started in Houston and can conclude in Laredo on July 20. The tour highlights her marketing campaign’s give attention to addressing the rising price of residing for Texas households.
Earlier this week, Hinojosa unveiled a proposal to ship one-time $1,500 funds to Texas households. She mentioned the plan would use $17 billion from the state’s roughly $27 billion Wet Day Fund, formally often called the Financial Stabilization Fund, whereas leaving the remaining stability in reserve.
Becoming a member of Hinojosa on the Paper Tiger rally have been Democratic Texas Home candidates Zack Dunn, Kristian Carranza and Adrien Reyna in addition to Democratic congressional candidates Kristin Hook, Katy Padilla Stout and Johnny Garcia. Every addressed the gang earlier than Hinojosa took the stage, encouraging help for Democratic candidates and emphasizing the significance of the 2026 election.
“I help Gina as a result of she will get it,” Reyna advised the Present. “I’ve seen her work on the general public training committee … . She’s been on the forefront of that battle. Whether or not it’s combating towards vouchers, extra public faculty funding or ensuring we’ve got psychological well being professionals that our college students can entry commonly, she has been there for that.”
These within the crowd held indicators studying “Cash in Your Pockets” and “Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor.” Some chanted “¡No te dejes!” — a Spanish phrase which means “Don’t again down” or “Arise for your self.”
Maria Luisa Rodriguez, a member of the Texas State Workers Union, advised the Present she helps Hinojosa’s insurance policies and believes Abbott’s failures throughout Winter Storm Uri worsened its impression.
“To take heed to her converse in the present day and speak about how many individuals died in the course of the winter storm, I don’t assume too many individuals realized what number of lives have been misplaced due to that,” Rodriguez mentioned.
Hinojosa concluded the rally by encouraging supporters to proceed organizing forward of the November midterms.
Whereas Hinojosa continues to marketing campaign throughout the state, Abbott nonetheless holds the lead. A June College of Texas/Texas Politics Challenge ballot discovered the governor main Hinojosa 47% to 40% amongst registered voters. The ballot had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 proportion factors.
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