Senate Race: Gutierrez steadfast in progressive views, criticizes Allred’s bipartisan efforts

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — With early voting just days away, and a third of democratic voters still undecided, candidates racing to take on Senator Ted Cruz are making one last push to rally support. Congressman Colin Allred and state Senator Roland Gutierrez are the frontrunners in the upcoming democratic primary.

Gutierrez currently trails Allred in the polls, but he’s standing firm behind his policies. Gutierrez sat down with KXAN’s Josh Hinkle to discuss key issues affecting this year’s elections.

“This isn’t ambition for me,” Gutierrez said. “We’ve got to do something better for my kids and everyone’s kids out there. This isn’t about personal gain.”

Gutierrez is looking to accelerate support as the March 5 primary quickly approaches.

“It has to be about how we are going to change this state in this country for the good of all,” said Gutierrez in a closing statement. “And I believe I’ve done that. I will exhaust myself for all Texans so that we can create a positive movement in this state once and for all.”

Immigration

Gutierrez has repeatedly called for “comprehensive immigration reform.” When asked what that looks like, he pointed to a five-point plan that includes change to the H-2A and H-2B visa system and increasing Drug Enforcement Agency funding.

“We’ve got to expand visas. We’ve got to look at how we train the best and brightest in the world and send them back home,” he explained. “We need to spend more money on immigration judges, and prosecutors, and the congressman and other people in Washington can do that.”

Throughout the interview, Gutierrez criticized Allred for his bipartisanism, something the Allred campaign advertises as a strength.

“I’ll tell you what we shouldn’t be doing. We shouldn’t be signing resolutions like my opponent has done with crackpot Republicans,” Gutierrez said. “That doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t do anything, doesn’t fix anything, doesn’t acknowledge anything.”

Gutierrez confides in his experience as an immigration lawyer and representative of several border counties.

Healthcare and Abortion Access

The state senator said he would work to codify abortion “by any means necessary.” According to Gutierrez, steps would include abolishing the filibuster and expanding the U.S. Supreme Court from nine to 13 judges.

As an advocate for a “Medicare for All” system, Gutierrez says the issue is unique to national politicians in Washington.

“The fact is most leading countries in the world have a single-payer system,” he said. “The out-of-pocket cost of health care in this country, and in this state is breaking working-class families.”

Gun Safety

Gun reform is a top priority for Gutierrez. “I’ve exhausted myself talking about guns,” he said.

Gutierrez, whose State Senate district includes Uvalde, was a leader in investigating the failures of the police response to the Uvalde elementary school massacre. He detailed the impact that being involved in the immediate response and viewing bodycam footage has had on both his personal and political life.

“I will totally exhaust myself talking to people across this nation, about how cops are in fear of an AR-15, and why we need an assault weapons ban with certain exceptions,” he said. “It’s the leading cause of death of children in the world. We lead the world. We can change that.”

Israel-Hamas Conflict

In the war between Israel and Hamas, Gutierrez is a proponent for peace. He called for a ceasefire in December 2023, supporting a resolution passed by the Texas Democratic Party. Allred did not explicitly support the resolution.

“It’s a very short-sighted view to say that Israel can go on and keep bombing,” Gutierrez said in the interview. “We must not give more aid to Israel, unless they show us a plan for immediate peace on how we’re going to stop this madness.”

“Killing 30,000 people doesn’t bring justice to those 1,200, and you should still be able to go in a police-like manner and hunt those people down. But you shouldn’t bomb women and children with impunity like they have done over and over again for the last four months,” he continued.

Gutierrez also emphasized the fragility of the situation, calling the Middle East a “powder keg” and saying the conflict be stopped to prevent a world war.

Mental Competency and Term Limits

After Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley called for mental competency tests for politicians over 75, the conversation about the age of lawmakers has gained attention.

“That’s a dog whistle, obviously, against our president,” Gutierrez said in response. He later elaborated about what he sees as successes by President Biden, saying he’s “done more legislatively than any other president in our modern times.”

When asked whether he would support term limits for members of Congress, Gutierrez encouraged the discussion, saying he “obliged” Cruz’s call for a two-term limit last legislative session. Gutierrez’s reasoning, though, is not necessarily IQ.

“When you have senators that are getting to be 90 and 100 years old, it’s not so much the mental acuity piece,” he explained. “It’s the fact that they have gotten so far deep into the pockets of big lobbyists, that they have forgotten what people are going through in their own communities.”

ERCOT

Congressman Greg Casar recently proposed the Connect the Grid Act, which would unite Texas’s power grid to the nation’s. The issue is extra prominent as we reach the anniversary of Texas’s deadly 2021 freeze.

“It’s important to note that people in El Paso are tied onto the western grid and they had no blackouts, and people in East Texas had no blackouts. But the rest of us that are under ERCOT, we suffered,” Gutierrez said.

The state senator condemned the state reforms made after the freeze, which he says “were largely paybacks to big energy companies.” He again criticized Allred for his supposed disapproval of the bill.

“Casar’s bill is a good one, and Congressman Allred should have signed on it, but he’s refused,” Gutierrez said.

College Debt Relief 

Though Gutierrez was not directly asked about student debt, he repeatedly brought up the issue and cited his endorsement by the Austin Young Democrats organization.

“We need to have children that are going to college not know that we’re not they’re not going to get choked economically,” said Gutierrez. “We have a 100% tax credit program for every dollar of their debt, they get a tax credit,” he added as a potential solution.

Gutierrez continuously referred to the economic struggles of working-class citizens and said the focus of his campaign is “what ails people.”

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