By declining to participate in CNN town hall in McAllen, Ted Cruz neglects border community who has asked for town hall before
MCALLEN – As reported yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz has declined an invitation from CNN to be a part of a town hall in which Rep. Beto O’Rourke has already agreed to in McAllen next Thursday, October 18. This comes only four weeks from Election Day and less than two weeks until early voting starts in Texas.
The Rio Grande Valley has long been a forgotten region during statewide elections, and the region remains one of the poorest in the country and one of the lowest in terms of voter turnout. But in 2018, Hidalgo County has seen a spike in voter registrations and grassroots leaders are working tirelessly to ensure Rio Grande Valley resident have the tools they need to make their voices heard.
Juanita Valdez-Cox, executive director of La Unión del Pueblo Entero, says:
After years of Senator Ted Cruz hosting private events in the Rio Grande Valley, we called on the Senator to hold or attend a town hall in our region as a way of hearing about the struggles of the constituents that he represents in the border region. Town hall meetings are a key way for our community members to realize their power to impact change in Washington.
Through the public forum that town halls present, Valley residents can impact the national conversation around border issues and influence Washington’s policies. The Monitor extended an invitation in June 2017 to Senator Cruz to host such a public forum with apparently no response from the Senator. Now, Senator Cruz has declined to attend a CNN-hosted town hall on the Senate race between Cruz and Beto O’Rourke. Senator Cruz’s commitment to private events and fundraisers in our region but not to a meaningful dialog with Valley residents is disappointing and a disservice to the residents of the Rio Grande Valley.
