Opinion: Texas GOP, far-right activists meddling in Nueces County affairs

Last month, Texas Republicans and far-right activists in Nueces County began putting together a power grab aimed at removing democratically elected county DA Mark Gonzalez from office.

While the state of Texas allows its citizens to file petitions to remove elected officials from office, this is far from an organic attempt from concerned citizens of Nueces County. Instead, this is a politically motivated power grab.

From the conservative activist who filed the petition, to the Republican County Attorney who agreed to take it to court, it is clear that this process has been nothing but a political stunt.

Now, as the case heads to court, it is important to remember that, if wrongfully removed, District Attorney Gonzalez’s seat would be filled by a Governor Greg Abbott appointee – effectively flipping the partisan position of this office without the input of the people of Nueces County.

More:Petition to remove Nueces County district attorney to be amended; second hearing coming

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots here and see this for what it really is: a desperate attempt from a party increasingly fearful of competing at the ballot box as their ideas and governing grow more and more unpopular with the people of Texas.

District Attorney Mark Gonzalez won reelection in 2020 by almost 3,000 votes and has worked tirelessly for the people of Nueces County. These partisan stunts and theatrics from local Republicans have nothing to do with addressing the real problems of hardworking families in our community.

Overcrowded county jails, and an understaffed sheriff’s department are just some of the problems that law enforcement faces in Nueces County. Instead of looking for solutions to increase safety, transparency, and accountability in our county, Republicans have instead opted to further disrupt the functioning of our county’s law enforcement and criminal justice system.

Unfortunately, this desperate behavior isn’t limited to Nueces County. During the last few months, Republicans have been targeting some of our state’s most prosperous and productive – and Democratic – counties, where coincidentally they have seen their popularity plummet during the last few years.

From Dallas, to Bexar, to Harris, state Republicans are working around the clock to strip power away from these counties, undermining the will of their residents, reducing the effectiveness of their local governments, and further driving a partisan divide that should have no place in local government.

Republican elected officials and conservative political activists in our state have opted in favor of voter suppression, power grabs, backroom horse-trading, and partisan politics. We must continue to call out and fight against ALL types of efforts to undermine our democracy.

If Republicans want to replace duly elected Democratic officials in Nueces County, or any other part of Texas, they should do so by taking their case to the people and earning their votes, not by undermining our democracy with political hatchet jobs.

Rene Saenz is the chair of the Nueces County Democratic Party.