State Rep. John Lujan hopes to beat Frank Ramirez and finally represent Bexar County in a legislative session

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VON ORMY — State Rep. John Lujan is attempting to tug off a long-elusive feat: serving in a Texas legislative session.

The San Antonio Republican has come up quick earlier than, unsuccessfully searching for full phrases in Home District 118 in 2016 and 2018. And in 2016, he was in the identical place he’s now: capturing the seat in a particular election upset however having to defend it within the common election months later.

“It’s been a giant journey,” Lujan acknowledged Thursday after holding a rally with Gov. Greg Abbott right here on the outskirts of San Antonio.

This time, he’s up towards youthful Democratic Frank Ramirez, a former San Antonio Metropolis Council staffer, in one of many few really aggressive state Home races left after redistricting. And the race is an unmistakable echo of statewide campaigns, with Lujan championing points like border safety and Ramirez tapping into anger over the Uvalde faculty taking pictures and overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“We can not enable our children to go to highschool and never come residence anymore,” Ramirez mentioned in an interview Thursday at a espresso store within the district. “We can not enable for girls on this state to be attacked and to stroll again their rights by 50 years.”

Whereas Lujan has been the underdog in his earlier campaigns for HD 118, Republicans redrew the district this time to place him in his strongest place but. President Joe Biden would have carried the brand new district by simply 3 proportion factors.

Not like in 2016 and 2018, Lujan can be benefiting from a nationwide setting that decisively favors Republicans, plus the GOP’s new prioritization of South Texas down the poll.

“So long as Lujan stays the course, doesn’t have any massive hiccups in the previous couple of remaining days of the election, he ought to do properly,” mentioned Sharon Navarro, a political science professor on the College of Texas at San Antonio.

Republican management has gone all in on Lujan, serving to him outraise Ramirez almost 5 to 1 on the most recent marketing campaign finance experiences. Home Speaker Dade Phelan, R-San Antonio, got here to the district to marketing campaign with Lujan on Wednesday, and Abbott visited Thursday for the rally, which was held at Lujan’s brother’s feed retailer.

On Saturday, Ramirez will be part of different San Antonio candidates for a block stroll headlined by gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke.

Lujan has break up along with his celebration on some points — voicing help for Medicaid enlargement, for instance. However Ramirez argues Lujan will finally be beholden to his high-powered backers.

“He’s taken positions which have gotten him nearer to the center, however we all know on the finish of the day that he’s a handpicked radical by Gov. Abbott and Dade Phelan,” Ramirez mentioned, “and for essentially the most half, he’s simply enterprise as common.”

Ramirez’s promoting has focused Lujan over his help for the state’s near-total abortion ban, which doesn’t embody any exceptions for rape victims, in addition to his lack of advocacy for any gun-control measures after the Uvalde faculty taking pictures in Might. Throughout a radio discussion board final month with Ramirez, Lujan didn’t again away from these positions however signaled openness to a rape exception to abortion restrictions and mentioned he would have been OK with a particular legislative session within the wake of the Uvalde bloodbath, which many Democrats demanded on the time.

Lujan mentioned it isn’t simple representing such a aggressive district, noting he has turn out to be well-accustomed to fellow Republicans calling him a phony and Democrats attacking him as an extremist.

“It is a powerful district for a Republican to carry and to have, however I don’t need to get caught up in that,” Lujan mentioned. “I need individuals to see what I’m doing for the group. … I feel that resonates greater than something.”

Nonetheless, Lujan has not been completely above the fray. He has been airing a TV advert that contrasts himself with Ramirez in private phrases, saying ​​”28-year-old Frank Ramirez is unemployed and lives along with his dad and mom.”

Ramirez mentioned the assault is just not resonating with group members who can relate to his story.

“If he desires to assault me for leaving my job a month and a half in the past to do that full time, that’s effective,” Ramirez mentioned. “If he desires to assault me for doing what each single particular person on the South Aspect of San Antonio and each single Hispanic group does, which is stay with their dad and mom till they’re snug or they’re capable of transfer on to greener pastures — let him.”

Lujan additionally has confronted scrutiny over a possible battle of curiosity within the Legislature. After profitable the seat in a particular election final 12 months, he inherited his predecessor’s membership on a Home committee that oversees the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Fee, which has a seven-figure contract with Lujan’s software program firm. In a San Antonio Specific-Information story printed final month, Lujan acknowledged it was a attainable battle however mentioned he had not but taken any motion as a committee member associated to the TABC. He left the room when the pinnacle of the TABC testified at his first assembly of the committee as a member.

In the course of the radio discussion board, Lujan mentioned he has “finished all the things the precise approach,” consulting attorneys within the Home “instantly” upon his election final 12 months. He promised to surrender all his shares within the firm if reelected.

Ramirez has mentioned there are nonetheless numerous unanswered questions in regards to the scenario.

“He says he didn’t do something flawed, then why did he disguise it this entire time?” Ramirez mentioned within the interview. “I really feel like that may’ve been a considerable piece of data for any individual to have previous to [Lujan] working or them voting.”

Lujan sees border safety because the No. 1 subject within the election. On the rally, an area household whose youngster died from fentanyl poisoning spoke earlier than Abbott. And Lujan advised the gang that Abbott’s border efforts have been “phenomenal, and we simply have to proceed and construct upon that.”

Abbott has dispatched 1000’s of Nationwide Guard troops to the border, initiated building of the state’s personal border wall and bused migrants to Democratic-run cities all through the nation.

Ramirez mentioned he favors a extra “compassionate” method centered on reforming federal immigration legal guidelines and overhauling the courtroom system. He mentioned the federal authorities must be doing extra however that Abbott’s program is just not the answer, saying it’s “failing miserably” by draining state funds from important companies.

Disclosure: College of Texas at San Antonio has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full checklist of them right here.