Tragedy Doesn’t Excuse Harmful Governance: The Truth About John Lujan

Why emotional appeals shouldn’t distract from the harm Lujan has done in office.

This week, Bexar County Republican John Lujan (HD118) released an ad talking about an incident that happened in 1986, when his home was broken into, and the home intruder cut his son’s throat. After telling the story, he talked about forgiveness, compassion, and God and how that incident made him who he is today.

What happened to John Lujan and his family in 1986 is undeniably a tragedy. No one should have to endure the pain of having their child hurt in such a violent and senseless way, and, understandably, this event would leave a profound mark on his life. Compassion and forgiveness are powerful responses to such a horrific experience, and his ability to speak to those emotions is admirable.

However, while we can acknowledge the humanity behind his story and the personal trauma he endured, that doesn’t negate the impact of his political actions. His voting record in the Texas House has consistently opposed policies that could provide genuine compassion and support for Texans, especially those most in need. His story, though heartbreaking, should not be used as a shield to deflect from the harm caused by his legislative choices.

• During the last legislative session, Lujan co-sponsored the bill banning cities from mandating that outside workers have water breaks. The same year, more than 330 people died from heat-related causes in Texas.

Here is his ad if you’re curious:

While it’s important to empathize with the tragedy John Lujan experienced, using that deeply personal story as a political tool to garner sympathy for his campaign is troubling.

By centering his trauma in his ad, Lujan attempts to shift the narrative away from his record. He uses the emotional weight of a horrific event to paint himself as compassionate and in touch with the struggles of everyday people. But that compassion, in many ways, rings hollow compared to his legislative record.

• In 2023, Lujan co-sponsored the bill establishing state economic incentives (subsidies) for oil and gas companies. Climate change is already causing 400,000 deaths per year. Thousands of people in Texas are living in cancer clusters due to the oil and gas industry.

Lujan has consistently supported policies that have worsened the lives of many Texans—whether it’s backing efforts to strip away healthcare access, supporting discriminatory legislation against marginalized communities, or endorsing policies that exacerbate violence and poverty. His votes in favor of these harmful measures directly contradict the values of empathy and compassion he highlights in his ad.

Leveraging personal tragedy to obscure the damaging consequences of his actions in office is not just inappropriate—it’s manipulative. It sidesteps accountability, preying on voters’ emotions while deflecting from the actual harm his policies have inflicted on Texas families instead of addressing the genuine issues his record raises.

• Last session, Lujan co-sponsored a bill to establish a “border police” to militarize border communities. As cited by Human Rights Watch, Republicans’ militarization of the border targets people based on race and national origin, disregards due process, and subjects them to abuses in detention.

Lujan’s political messaging exploits genuine suffering while deflecting from the actual consequences of his decisions in office. It’s not just gross; it’s a cynical tactic designed to obscure the truth and manipulate voters into forgetting that public officials should be judged on their record, not their tragedies. Tragedy doesn’t give a free pass for harmful governance, and using it to do so is an insult to the very people he’s supposed to serve

• Lujan voted in favor of prohibiting cities from passing climate change ordinances. Today, billions of people on every continent are suffering because of climate change.

Representative Lujan isn’t only manipulative. He’s also a liar.

Yesterday, Lujan and his Democratic opponent, Kristian Carranza, held a debate. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a live stream of it, but I did manage to find this clip:

What was that about? A few weeks ago, during an interview with Texas Public Radio, Lujan said that if he had a daughter who became pregnant because of rape, he would force her to have the baby.

Here is the clip:

Fortunately, Lujan does not have any daughters. But like most Republican men, if he did, he would force her to carry a pregnancy from rape because Republicans want control over women’s bodies. If he would do that to his hypothetical daughter, imagine what he would do to the women of Texas.

• Lujan voted to abolish the election administrator position in Harris County. This act deprived Harris County residents of the ability to choose how to run their elections, a right given to every other county in the state, maybe because Harris County is a 73% non-Anglo county. This bill will allow state officials to take over an election if they don’t like the results.

During last night’s debate, when Kristian Carranza brought up his comments about forced pregnancy, he denied ever saying it. You could hear the shouts in the audience, “Yes, you did.” The interview was recorded on audio, so his denial was a lie.

That isn’t the only lie he’s told.

This is a little weird, but his given name at birth wasn’t “John.” It was “Juan.” I discovered that this morning while doing a deep dive into his background.

Now, the Spanish translation for John is Juan. So, technically, his name in Spanish means John, but that wasn’t his given name. He claims to be “John Lujan III,” but his father’s name was “Juan.”

Source: Ancestry.com

This is common in America when people with non-American names change their names to sound more Americanized. They do this for many reasons, including job prospects, to fit in better, or maybe to run for a political party whose voters are primarily Anglo Saxton.

• Lujan voted to ban EGS (Environmental Social Governance) in Texas. As a result, this has cost the state more than $700 million.

Fun fact: Representative Mihaela Plesa’s (D-HD70) parents are from Romania. “Mihaela” is Romanian for “Michelle.” Plesa and I discussed this a while back. She did not change her name to the American version of “Michelle” and was still elected.

I’m sure everyone will have their own opinion on this. Our names are all part of our identities. For some, it could be personal or tied to their cultural identity. However, I distinctly remember that when Beto was running for office, Texas Republicans refused to call him by the name he identifies as. With Lujan, is the shoe now on the other foot?

Lujan’s voting record should overshadow everything he says and does.

The bullet points above are just some of the awful things he’s done in his one term in office. He’s also a stanch pro-voucher Republican, which aims to strip away public school funding and funnel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of wealthy Texans.

• Lujan voted in favor of banning diversity programs at Texas colleges, which was by far the most racist thing to come from the State Legislature last session.

This election presents a critical opportunity for the residents of HD118 to choose a representative who will genuinely work for their interests.

Kristian Carranza stands as the clear alternative to John Lujan, offering voters a path toward policies prioritizing fairness, equality, and the well-being of all Texans. With a clear vision for improving education and expanding healthcare access, Carranza’s platform serves the people, not special interests.

That’s why the ENTIRE Bexar County Democratic Delegation has endorsed her:

This district can be flipped. The power to make that happen lies in the hands of the voters. By turning out in numbers and making their voices heard, the people of HD118 can elect a representative who will truly fight for them. Every vote matters, and this year, HD118 has the chance to send a message: Texans deserve better than harmful governance. It’s time for change, and Kristian Carranza will deliver it.

• October 21: First day to early vote.

• October 25: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot.

• November 1: Last day to early vote.

• November 5: Election day!

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