SAN ANTONIO — With just three months until the November elections, the Bexar County Republican Party is accusing the Democratic candidate running for Texas House District 118 of changing her last name for political gain.
“Kristian Carranza, whose real name is Kristian Thompson, changed her last name just months before the Primary Election, if we understand correctly,” said Kris Coons, chair of the Bexar County Republican Party during a press conference on Tuesday.
Carranza is running against Republican incumbent John Lujan.
Coons presented documents showcasing the name change, one of which showed the name “Thompson” crossed out and replaced with “Carranza” on a voter registration application. Court records identified the legal name change took place in January 2023.
Coons said the Bexar County Republican Party is exploring potential legal action against Carranza, but the GOP official was unable to specify what law she allegedly broke that would prompt grounds for a lawsuit. Coons speculated as to why she believes Carranza changed her name, accusing her of lacking transparency with the public.
“We believe that it was changed possibly to have a beautiful Hispanic last name in a beautiful Hispanic district. That’s it, to influence voters that way,” Coons said.
In an interview with KENS 5, Carranza called the lawsuit “frivolous” and “disrespectful.” Thompson is her father’s last name, someone she said was absent from her life beginning at an early age. The Democrat said she’s gone by Carranza for the past decade and has pride in her mother’s last name and southside community where she grew up.
“There are so many reasons why women change their names and I think that this lawsuit is really disrespectful to the women of San Antonio and across the country,” Carranza said. “I changed my named because Carranza’s my mother’s last name. She raised me solely with my grandmother and I’m so proud to carry that name with me. I’m running for office for people like my family.”
Legal expert Joseph Hoelscher said there’s no legal basis for a lawsuit to be filed by the Bexar County Republican Party against Carranza.
“The law contemplates that people will use a name that the public may be familiar with even if it’s not that name that they use in private and on their legal documents. There’s nothing here that prohibits here what she’s doing what she’s doing,” Hoelscher said, an attorney who specializes in family law. “If you willingly file a lawsuit without grounds, you can be either sanctioned just for doing that or countersued.”
State Rep. John Lujan noted in an emailed statement: "This situation involving a name change for political reasons is not acceptable, and it’s important that all public figures remain accountable to the people they seek to represent. While my opponent will need to address this issue directly with the voters, I want to reiterate my own commitment to transparency and effective representation as the State Representative for District 118."