07 Oct Candidate Q&A From Recent Accountability Session

On Oct. 4, three political candidates addressed key community concerns, ranging from healthcare and infrastructure to gun control, during a public accountability session hosted by La Organización Fronteriza/The Border Organization (TBO) in Del Rio.

La Organización Fronteriza/The Border Organization (TBO) is a non-partisan regional grassroots group dedicated to addressing social and civic issues across border counties. Rather than endorsing political candidates, TBO builds a non-partisan community agenda from hundreds of local listening sessions and uses public accountability forums to demand direct “yes or no” commitments on those specific issues from political candidates and elected officials.

This forum featured three Democratic candidates: Katy Padilla Stout, candidate for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District; Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez, seeking re-election to Senate District 19; and Texas Rep. Eddie Morales, seeking re-election to House District 74. All three Republican opponents—Brandon Herrera, Marcus Cardenas, and Robert Garza—absented themselves, despite prior commitments from Cardenas and Garza to attend. 

See below for some of the questions and answers at this weekend’s session. 

Q: Del Rio resident Anakin Zulayka asked if the state candidates would support expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and if the federal candidate would support Medicare For All and restore recently cut SNAP benefits.

A: Gutierrez answered yes, criticizing state leadership for refusing Medicaid expansion and forfeiting billions in federal health funding. Morales also answered yes, noting his support for the state’s Health Stabilization Act and co-authoring legislation to fund rural ambulances. Padilla Stout voiced full support for Medicare For All and restoring SNAP benefits, emphasizing that safety-net cuts disproportionately harm children and home-bound seniors.

Q: Hill Country Preservation Coalition Vice President Amanda Griffin asked if the federal candidate would support a moratorium on data centers and if the state candidates would support a state moratorium, grant counties local voting rights on the issue, and pause 765kV power line expansion.

A: Padilla Stout supported a moratorium, advocating for federal regulatory standards on data center construction. Morales and Gutierrez both backed a moratorium, with Morales stressing the need to eliminate tax abatements for data centers and Gutierrez recommending that major transmission lines be rerouted along existing corridors like I-10.

Q: Former police officer Eddie Cortez asked if the state candidates would work to rescind Senate Bill 8 to end local police collaboration with ICE, and whether the federal candidate would support a pathway to citizenship.

A: Morales cited concerns raised by local law enforcement regarding SB8 implementation and pledged to work on legislative guardrails rather than total repeal. Gutierrez committed to repealing SB8, condemning current enforcement tactics and arguing that funds spent on border security should be redirected to healthcare and education. Padilla Stout fully supported a pathway to citizenship, pointing to her family’s migrant background.

Q: Uvalde community leader Denise Feldtman asked if all candidates would support raising the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, establishing universal background checks, and restricting the sale of assault weapons.

A: All three candidates answered yes. Gutierrez added his support for extreme risk protective orders (like temporarily removing weapons from the home of someone who is mentally ill), while Padilla Stout noted that the Uvalde shooting served as a main catalyst for her congressional campaign. Morales reaffirmed his support for the measures and praised Gutierrez’s advocacy for the Uvalde community.

Q: Uvalde Estates resident Betty Gonzalez asked if the candidates would secure state or federal funding for essential water infrastructure in underserved border colonias.

A: All three candidates answered yes, pledging to pursue dedicated infrastructure funding. Gutierrez emphasized that water scarcity represents one of the most critical issues facing Texas and the nation.

Q: Val Verde County leader Carlos Coronado asked if the state candidates would introduce workforce initiatives for sustainable, living-wage jobs, and asked the federal candidate if she would support a similar federal initiative and raise the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour.

A: All three candidates answered yes to the economic and wage proposals.