Texas Democrats tap Joaquin Castro to deliver key address

Texas Democrats have tapped Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) to deliver the state party’s official rebuttal to a town hall event by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) scheduled for Thursday evening. 

The selection of Castro comes days after the four-term congressman sparked fury among Republicans for tweeting the names of Trump donors who live in his San Antonio district.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa on Wednesday lauded Castro in a statement that emphasized his efforts at striking a contrast with the Trump administration.

{mosads}“From ending gun violence to challenging Trump’s racist and disgusting policy of family separation, from protecting our democracy from foreign interference to fighting for healthcare, education, and an economy that works for everyone, Castro leads on the issues that matter to Texans,” Hinojosa said.

Castro, the brother of Democratic presidential hopeful Julián Castro, drew backlash from Republicans recently after he shared publicly available information about donors who gave more than $200 to President Trump’s campaign from his area.

House Republicans have called for a House Ethics Committee investigation into Castro’s tweet, which Castro spokeswoman Katherine Schneider called “baseless” last week, noting that media outlets regularly publish similar donor information.

“Their letter is a disingenuous attempt by pro-dark money, far-right legislators to limit Americans’ ability to track money in politics. They would prefer large contributions to be kept secret so that there’s no meaningful transparency in political giving,” she said last week.

Trump also blasted Castro, initially misspelling his name in a tweet that called him the “lesser brother of a failed presidential candidate” in reference to Julián Castro, the former Obama administration Housing and Urban Development secretary.

The state party’s announcement is another indication the party plans to stand by Castro despite the GOP pushback.

“Texans will have the opportunity to hear two messages on Thursday night: the Abbott status quo of division, hate, and an inability to offer any real solutions and our Texas Democratic vision of an optimistic, safe future grounded in meaningful actions that give every Texan a fair shot to get ahead,” Hinojosa said.

Abbott’s event will take place at the University of Texas at Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center. In a statement, he said the event was “an opportunity to talk about the successes of the legislative session and hear directly from the people of Texas about the most pressing issues facing their communities,” local radio station KRLD reported.