AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned with congressional candidate and former Austin City Councilmember Greg Casar in Austin this weekend, just ahead of early voting.
The event, called "Rally for Our Rights: The Power of Latino Organizing," took place at Mohawk on Sunday, Feb. 13.
Casar is looking to represent Texas's 35th Congressional District, stretching from Austin down to San Antonio. He announced his campaign in November 2021 while serving his third term on the Austin City Council. Congressman Lloyd Doggett currently represents the district but said he would run for the newly created 37th District.
Casar recently stepped down from the council to run for Congress, following a special election where Austin attorney Jose "Chito" Vela won the race to represent Austin's District 4 that Casar served in.
Both Ocasio-Cortez and Casar appeared at another rally the day before in San Antonio with Jessica Cisneros, an immigration attorney, looking to unseat Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas's 28th Congressional District.
"The sea of change in this country is going to come from the state of Texas," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Austin and next door in San Antonio with Jessica Cisneros, it's going to be the springboard of change across the state. You all know that, don't you? That's why electing folks and sending folks like Greg Casar to Congress and sending folks like Jessica is incredibly important."
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Casar supports universal healthcare, a Green New Deal and expanded reproductive rights.
"Working Texans deserve a leader who will fight and deliver for Medicare for all," said Casar. "Reproductive rights, good union jobs and a better Texas. I'm that person, and we are those people, and that's why we're going to Congress."
Ocasio-Cortez continues to remind voters Casar has her full support.
"We should be fighting for reproductive justice, which is what Greg Casar does," added Ocasio-Cortez. "Greg Casar nearly doubled the wages of the city's lowest-paid employees here in Austin. Greg Casar passed affordable housing policies here in the city of Austin, as rent is getting jacked up here and everywhere else across the country."
"We’re coming in for a major DOUBLE-RALLY next Saturday, Feb. 12, to send Greg Casar and Jessica Cisneros to Congress and support community organizing across the state," the New York congresswoman tweeted about the San Antonio rally.
The rally down in the Alamo City was held at Paper Tiger.
Eddie Rodriguez, Carla-Joy Sisco and Rebecca Viagran are also running in the Democratic primary, which is set for March 1.
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