Paxton's Violent Raids Seek To Criminalize Normal Politics-Elected Officials Not Immune

Attorney General Ken Paxton has conducted violent raids against a Democratic nominee in a hotly contested Texas State Rep, race, a well-known Democratic operative and an 87 year old rank and file Democrat.

​From the Texas Tribune:

The League of United Latin American Citizens plans to request a federal investigation into raids Attorney General Ken Paxton conducted this week as part of what he called an “ongoing election integrity investigation.”....Gabriel Rosales, Texas LULAC’s state director, said in a statement that Paxton carried out the raids 11 weeks before the 2024 elections “to suppress the Latino vote through intimidation and any means necessary to tilt the electoral process in favor of his political allies.”...Agents raided the home of Cecilia Castellano — the Democrat running to succeed state Rep. Tracy King, D-Uvalde — and confiscated her phone as part of the search, according to Rosales. Republicans see that seat, which Gov. Greg Abbott carried by nearly 6 percentage points, as their best potential state House flip in November....Law enforcement also searched the homes of at least five other Latino individuals, all of whom were working on Castellano’s campaign and three of whom are members of Texas LULAC, Rosales added. LULAC is a non-partisan, volunteer-based Hispanic civil rights organization headquartered in Washington. 

Here are some observations about the raids:

1. That one of the subjects raided is the Democratic-nominee for Texas State House in a strongly contested seat, should make it clear to Democratic elected officials that they are not immune from Republican violence.

2. The homes of rank & file Democrats taking part in voter registration efforts were raided.  We're at a place where normal volunteer efforts can be criminalized.

3. The use of DPS troops to conduct these raids should remind people that every additional police officer in Texas is another potential participant in Republican attacks on democracy, and also the mass round ups of migrants openly planned by the right.   

4. Republicans are afraid of Democratic gains at the ballot box. Two recent polls have Colin Allred within two percentage points of Ted Cruz in the Texas U.S. Senator race.

5. Republicans in Texas will not accept statewide defeats and other defeats as well, without resorting to every tactic possible to stop and overturn those defeats. Violence from the political right is very much on the table. 

6. With violent raids taking place and Democratic victories increasingly possible across Texas, what excuse do elected Harris County Democrats have to not be involved in every way possible in the 2024 campaign? 

7. Democrats are running to win elections. Republicans are looking to take and hold power.  

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