Sema for Texas

SEMA FOR U.S. SENATE TO DEFEAT SEN. JOHN CORNYN

“SEMA HERNANDEZ IS THE ONLY TEXAS DEMOCRAT TO OFFICIALLY

ANNOUNCE HER CANDIDACY FOR THE 2020 RACE FOR U.S. SENATE”

* * * * * IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * * * *

HOUSTON, Texas -- Senate Candidate Sema Hernandez has called on Sen. John Cornyn to retract his quote of deceased fascist Benito Mussolini, which is reflective of Mr. Cornyn’s past support of restricting the rights of individuals.

On February 24, 2019, Sen. Cornyn issued the following quote on Twitter:

“‘We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become.’ Benito Mussolini.”

In 2017, the senator co-sponsored and later voted for a bill to reauthorize a warrantless spying on US citizens as part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He voted numerous times to strip US citizens of their access to healthcare by a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. In recent weeks, Sen. Cornyn called for a coup to overturn the election in Venezuela, disregard the votes of the people of Venezuela, and replace the elected President with a politician who refused to put his name on the ballot.

Ms. Hernandez rejects each of these actions as an obstruction of the rights of sovereign individuals, not unlike the laws Mussolini imposed on Italy during WWII. Mr. Cornyn’s apparent admiration for the fascist Mussolini is an affront to the U.S. Constitution and to the rights of Texans and all who reside in the United States and its Territories.

In September 2018, Sema Hernandez declared her candidacy to challenge Sen. John Cornyn for his Senate seat in the U.S. Congress. Conditions for working Texas families have worsened over the past several decades. A worldwide humanitarian crisis caused by decades of US military intervention, failed regime change, economic sanctions, and trade deals has forced refugees to seek asylum at our borders. It is time for change.

Let's defeat Sen. John Cornyn together!

* * * * * * * * * *

Sisters and Brothers,

Texas is long overdue for bold progressive leadership. Global warming (aka "climate change" ) is an immediate threat to our existence. Scientist have warned us about global warming for years while fossil fuel executives hid the finding for decades. Global warming is only getting worse. Droughts, floods, extreme heat, and super-storms are creating a humanitarian crisis around the World.

In Texas, many people have not recovered from Hurricane Harvey. Puerto Rico has been abandoned after Hurricane Maria leveled the island, and over 4,000 people have died due to lack of urgency by elected officials to send aid and rebuild their power grid. In California, wildfires have decimated communities leaving people homeless and causing adverse health complications.

In places around the World, it's more of the same, if not much worse. Everyone feels the effects of global warming. We are witnessing a mass migration of refugees, due in part to the climate crisis which causes water and food scarcity, poverty, and famine.

We have less than 12 years to drastically reverse the effects of global warming, but Sen. John Cornyn and other elected officials voted against bills that curb our fossil fuel dependency. Sen. John Cornyn was a top recipient of donations from the Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution industry, receiving a total of $310,900 from Oil and Gas PACs in the 2017-2018 election cycle (Open Secrets. Sen. John Cornyn - Campaign Finance Summary. Retrieved January 3, 2019).

Today, I make the commitment to support a Green New Deal in the Senate and continue to honor the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge I made in 2018.

Pleased make a donation to our grassroots campaign. Help us reach our monthly goal of $20K to travel the huge state of Texas. We want to empower people across Texas to boldly support our campaign.

I appreciate your support as we continue to build our 2020 grassroots campaign.

In Solidarity,

Sema

Sisters and Brothers,

Our 2018 campaign was groundbreaking and we're just getting started. We will continue to be boldly progressive and unapologetically human. We will continue to talk about the issues that are important, have necessary conversations, organize and strategize to not only win this upcoming election, but to reform the political system to prioritize people over corporate interest.

We look forward to accomplishing so much more and we invite you to join our grassroots campaign! 

In Solidarity,

Sema

Dear Supporter,

Senator John Cornyn is among the Republican men on the Senate Judiciary Committee who voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2013. It should come as no surprise that, despite new and controversial evidence about nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Mr. Cornyn has dismissed women’s accounts of sexual molestation by Kavanaugh as nothing more than “smear tactics”. His actions reflect a deliberate disregard for women’s safety and rights.

After weeks of refusing to release Kavanaugh’s files, Sen. Cornyn now has joined his Republican colleagues in intimidating and discrediting Kavanaugh’s accusers before they have an opportunity to testify at his confirmation hearing about their traumatic experiences. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote for Friday, September 28, 2018, regardless of whether the women’s testimony warrants further investigation.  Sen. Mitch McConnell has stated that the Republicans will confirm Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court.

Sen. Cornyn was a former Texas Supreme Court Judge and Attorney General of Texas, where the public entrusted him to exercise independent judgment and to protect victims’ rights. Cornyn’s predisposition to fast track the Kavanaugh confirmation for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, even before hearing witnesses’ testimony, is a violation of the voters’ trust in electing him to the Senate.

Republican Senators have no regard for our rights from healthcare to women's rights. The Kavanaugh Confirmation process has been an overt and willful rubber-stamp, disrespectful of constituents, democracy, and the Constitution.

Here’s what’s at stake if Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed as SCOTUS:

• Healthcare

• Reproductive Justice

• Human Rights

• Education

• Immigration

• Marriage Equality

• Labor Rights

• Environmental Laws

• Tribal Sovereignty

• Democracy

It is difficult to remove bad politicians from office when they are heavily-funded by organizations and influential donors who are committed to restricting our personal rights and liberties.  Our campaign to replace Senator John Cornyn in 2020 has begun, but we need your help and support to win.  Please visit our website and let us know if you’re available to volunteer. It's never too early to make a donation to our campaign to ensure that your rights are protected.

In Solidarity,

Sema Hernandez

Candidate for U.S. Senate 2020