Roland Gutierrez Announces Run for U.S. Senate in Texas, Setting Up Rare Competitive Democratic Primary Race

Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez announced on Monday that he will run for U.S. Senate in 2024, setting up a rare competitive Democratic primary for a major race in Texas. Gutierrez, who represents the Uvalde area in central Texas, has been a vocal advocate for tougher gun legislation since the deadly 2022 school shooting in Uvalde.

Gutierrez joins fellow Democrat MJ Hegar in the race to take on Republican Senator Ted Cruz in 2024. Hegar, who represents the Dallas area, has already amassed a $6.2 million war chest since announcing her candidacy two months ago.

Gutierrez said in a video announcement that in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting, the people in his district “came together to demand change.” He has since been a vocal advocate for tougher gun legislation, and has called for police accountability.

Gutierrez was little known beyond his South Texas district before the Uvalde shooting. He now joins Hegar in a longshot bid to deny Cruz a third term representing the nation’s biggest red state.

The Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas is now officially underway. Gutierrez and Hegar will face an uphill battle against Cruz, who has held the seat since 2013.