The Bexar County GOP has cast doubt on Democratic candidate Kristian Carranza's motives for adopting a Hispanic surname, suggesting a strategic ploy to win over the predominantly Hispanic voters of San Antonio's House District 118. According to The Texas Tribune, GOP chair Kris Coons raised questions about the timing of Carranza's name change at a news conference, pointing to an amended voter registration application where "Thompson" was replaced with "Carranza."
Coons singled out Carranza's decision to officially change her last name from Thompson to Carranza in January 2023, the month before her candidacy filing, as a calculated move to connect with the district's residents, who are nearly two-thirds Hispanic. “It wasn’t until she moved into a proud Hispanic district to run for office that she suddenly changed her name to Carranza,” Coons said, despite Carranza's having used the name professionally for at least a decade. The Bexar County GOP had hinted at a legal challenge against Carranza's candidacy but had not clarified what law she may have purportedly violated.
Carranza refuted the insinuations of political maneuvering, labeling such claims as a continuation of Texas Republicans' lack of respect for women, especially those who often have legitimate reasons for changing their names. “It’s disrespectful to women across San Antonio and our country who change their names all the time for so many reasons,” Carranza told The Texas Tribune. She asserted that the GOP was echoing former President Donald Trump's tactics of identity politics, as seen in recent comments about Vice President Kamala Harris's racial identity.
Emphasizing her deep roots in San Antonio's Southside, Carranza explained that she bore the surname "Thompson" from her biological father at birth but was raised by her mother, whose name she honors by using Carranza. As a show of her established connection to the name, former colleagues such as Kevin Puleo confirmed to The Texas Tribune that Carranza was known by that surname well before her candidacy. Her opponent, incumbent John Lujan, insisted that questions about her name change and the motives therein are for voters to interrogate while underscoring his commitment to transparency.
The contention over Carranza's name has resurfaced in the race after being weaponized during her primary campaign. Still, her fundraising efforts have indeed been formidable, outpacing Lujan's significantly in the last cycle according to state records. The race for House District 118 remains significant, with Carranza attempting to reclaim a traditionally Democratic seat and the latest controversy revealing the intricate interplay of identity politics in the high-stakes game of local elections.
