San Antonio Democrat chastised for changing her name has used it professionally since 2015

Texas House candidate Kristian Carranza, a Democrat whom the Bexar County GOP accused of changing her name to woo Hispanic voters, has used that same surname in professional settings since at least 2015, according to former colleagues.

The controversy surrounding the Carranza's last name made headlines Tuesday after county GOP Chairwoman Kris Coons told reporters during a press conference that party attorneys were considering filing a lawsuit against the Democratic candidate because she legally changed her name from Thompson in January 2023.

"We believe that [her last name] was changed, possibly, you know, to have a beautiful Hispanic last name in a beautiful Hispanic district to influence voters," Coons said of Carranza, who's running to represent the South Side's Texas House District 118.

Even so, no lawsuit has been filed as of press time on Wednesday. What's more, Coons couldn't tell reporters at Tuesday's presser what law Carranza might have broken when she changed her last name to her mother's maiden name.

Although Carranza did legally change her name nine months before the candidate registration deadline, she has publicly used that name for years, according to multiple people. Carranza also told the Current she wasn't planning to fun for office when she legally changed her name.

"This is a baseless lawsuit," Carranza said. "That's my legal name, the name I've been using for more than a decade. The Bexar County GOP were hoping for chisme, but all they have is a nothing burger."

'We always referred to her as Kristian Carranza'

Kevin Puleo, who worked with Carranza in 2015 to register residents for the Affordable Care Act, told the Current that while her then-resume identified her as "Kristian Carranza Thompson," she only used her mother's last name when introducing herself to people.

"It was 'Kristian Carranza Thompson' [on the resume], but we always referred to her as 'Kristian Carranza,'" said Puleo, who now runs a Washington, D.C.-based campaign consulting group. "That's how she interacted with people."

A Democratic organizer who worked with Carranza in Florida as part of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign but asked not to be named due to her political work said Carranza never used the last name "Thompson" as long as he's known her.

Moreover, a 2019 Politico article about staffing changes being made to Julian Castro's 2020 presidential bid also identified Carranza as "Kristian Carranza."

Carranza's father, whose last name is Thompson, walked out on the family when she was a baby, leaving her single mother and grandmother to raise her on the South Side, Carranza told the Current.

"I was raised by my mom; she's the only parent that I've ever known," she said. "I feel like it makes sense to be named after the person that raised you. I just think it's very weird that Republicans have zeroed in on my name."

Vulnerable incumbent

Carranza said she believes the Bexar County GOP's talk of a "frivolous" lawsuit amounts to a desperate attempt to distract voters from Republican District 118 incumbent Texas Rep. John Lujan's voting record on women's issues and education.

"When you're a woman of color running for office, you face ridiculous questions about your identity and ethnicity, and we're seeing this play out at the national level," Carranza said. "The Bexar County Republican Party is taking a page out of the Trump playbook with this one. This is an obvious sexist attempt to undermine me and my story because the Bexar County Republican Party can clearly see that voters in House District 118 are ready for change."

Indeed, the race is among the most competitive in Texas this election cycle, according to political observers. Lujan is considered a vulnerable candidate since he won the redrawn blue-leaning district by just 2.5% in a 2021 special election to replace Democrat Leo Pacheco, who resigned after taking a job at San Antonio College.

Lujan kept his seat by a 3.8% margin during the 2022 midterms.

"These attacks on my last name are not serious," Carranza said. "You know what is serious? Republican attacks on women's healthcare rights and our kid's public schools. John Lujan and his friends are doing this because they don't want to walk about his voting record and its impact on families in HouseDistrict 118. This is all a distraction."

District 118 voters will decide whether Carranza's last name is of public importance on Nov. 5.

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