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Republican congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez, who narrowly lost the November election to U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen), held a news conference today in Edinburg #rgv
De La Cruz-Hernandez said she had evidence that:
* People voted twice.
* People not listed on the "voter roll" cast ballots. https://twitter.com/dmhj/status/1340022344539123720?s=20
* People voted twice.
* People not listed on the "voter roll" cast ballots. https://twitter.com/dmhj/status/1340022344539123720?s=20
Asked how she determined that people voted twice, De La Cruz-Hernandez said:
"So, basically, what we did was we ran a lot of lists and we do have a list of people who voted twice. And so, with that, we will be sending to the Secretary of State anybody who voted,"
"So, basically, what we did was we ran a lot of lists and we do have a list of people who voted twice. And so, with that, we will be sending to the Secretary of State anybody who voted,"
De La Cruz-Hernandez said she would be "happy to release that information."
Asked for a copy of the list, though, her campaign manager said: "We don't have a list of people that voted twice, I feel Monica might of been confused when answering your question."
Asked for a copy of the list, though, her campaign manager said: "We don't have a list of people that voted twice, I feel Monica might of been confused when answering your question."
It wasn't just the list.
Her campaign manager, Karen Navarro, couldn't provide a single example of someone who had voted twice.
Her campaign manager, Karen Navarro, couldn't provide a single example of someone who had voted twice.
De La Cruz-Hernandez also claimed that 944 people who didn't appear on the "voter roll" cast ballots.
She included that number in a tally of "questionable and illegal votes."
She included that number in a tally of "questionable and illegal votes."
I asked De La Cruz-Hernandez's campaign manager, Karen Navarro, for a list of the 944 people in Hidalgo County who cast ballots but didn't appear on the "voter roll."
Navarro provided two PDFs. One listed people who voted in person. Another showed people who voted by mail.
Navarro provided two PDFs. One listed people who voted in person. Another showed people who voted by mail.
This is the list provided by Monica De La Cruz-Hernandez's campaign of people in Hidalgo County who cast in-person ballots but didn't appear on the voter roll.
Many people on the list, however, are well known in Hidalgo County.
And they're definitely registered voters.
And they're definitely registered voters.
The list included attorney Ernest Aliseda, a former state district judge who was appointed to the bench by Republican governors.
See: https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/former-regents/ernest-aliseda
See: https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/former-regents/ernest-aliseda
It also included State District Judge Ysmael D. Fonseca Jr., who was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Fonseca was on the November ballot.
See: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-appoints-fonseca-to-464th-judicial-district-court
Fonseca was on the November ballot.
See: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-appoints-fonseca-to-464th-judicial-district-court
It also included Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Constable Atanacio "J.R." Gaitan, former McAllen Municipal Judge Kathleen Henley and former McAllen City Commissioner Marcus Barrera.
That list appears to include many people who (because they're judges or law enforcement officers) may have their addresses removed from certain public records.
It's not evidence of voter fraud.
It's not evidence of voter fraud.
I asked De La Cruz-Hernandez's campaign manager, Karen Navarro, about that.
She said: "Although some of the names on this list are protected by election code, the vast majority were still not eligible to vote in the November 3 election."
She said: "Although some of the names on this list are protected by election code, the vast majority were still not eligible to vote in the November 3 election."
So I compared a few names on the list (at random) against a list of registered voters eligible to cast ballots in the November 2020 election.
I didn't have any trouble finding them.
I didn't have any trouble finding them.
I asked Karen Navarro, the De La Cruz-Hernandez campaign manager, if she could provide a single example of someone who voted in person but wasn't actually a registered voter.
She couldn't.
She couldn't.
Karen Navarro, the De La Cruz-Hernandez campaign manager, said she didn't have access to that information.
"As I mentioned earlier I am not part of the investigation team. I have forwarded your concerns to them and as soon as they get back to me I will forward to you."
"As I mentioned earlier I am not part of the investigation team. I have forwarded your concerns to them and as soon as they get back to me I will forward to you."
So who conducted this investigation?
In her news release, De La Cruz-Hernandez said she had "assembled and led a team of attorneys and investigators to examine widespread reports of fraud and gross irregularities in the November election ..." https://twitter.com/dmhj/status/1340022344539123720?s=20
In her news release, De La Cruz-Hernandez said she had "assembled and led a team of attorneys and investigators to examine widespread reports of fraud and gross irregularities in the November election ..." https://twitter.com/dmhj/status/1340022344539123720?s=20
After the news conference, I asked De La Cruz-Hernandez's campaign manager, Karen Navarro, about the investigation.
Navarro said a team of volunteers had conducted the investigation.
She wouldn't identify any of them, because they're involved in other "cases."
Navarro said a team of volunteers had conducted the investigation.
She wouldn't identify any of them, because they're involved in other "cases."
De La Cruz-Hernandez also made a bunch of other claims, including that Hidalgo County "illegally" sent mail-in ballot applications to voters.
(Background on that issue: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/07/harris-county-mail-in-ballot-applications/)
(Background on that issue: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/07/harris-county-mail-in-ballot-applications/)
At the news conference, De La Cruz-Hernandez hedged on whether or not she would actually challenge the election results.
De La Cruz-Hernandez was clear, though, that she plans to run again in 2022.
De La Cruz-Hernandez was clear, though, that she plans to run again in 2022.
