Planned Parenthood’s racist attack against a pro-life Democrat in Texas failed Tuesday when state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. won a primary runoff election against a pro-abortion challenger.
Lucio, who represents the Rio Grande Valley, has been a strong advocate for life in the state legislature for years. He recently told the Catholic News Agency that he is committed to protecting life “from conception to natural death.”
On Tuesday, he won the Democratic primary election with 53.6% of the vote, beating challenger Sara Stapleton-Barrera, who is pro-abortion, according to the report.
“We are thrilled the good people of Senate District 27 saw through the racists attacks of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, and voted to return pro-life champion, Senator Lucio, to the Texas Senate!” said Kyleen Wright, president of Texans for Life.
During the campaign, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes and the Texas Freedom Network slammed the pro-life senator, who is Hispanic, as “Sucio Lucio” in a series of ads and social media posts. “Sucio” is Spanish for “dirty,” making the phrase basically equivalent to the racial slur “dirty Mexican.”
Many condemned the racist attack ads, including Lucio’s son, state Rep. Eddie Lucio III, and Catholic Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, according to CNA.
“These big special-interests groups from outside our border community should comprehend the deeper connotations behind the word ‘sucio’ (‘dirty Mexican’) and the association with a person of Hispanic descent,” Rep. Lucio III said in a statement earlier this month.
The primary won, Lucio Jr. is facing a Republican challenger, Vanessa Tijerina, in the general election, the report states.
For many years, Lucio has stood up against his party’s pro-abortion platform and voted pro-life.
In 2017, he was one of two Senate Democrats who voted in favor of legislation to protect unborn babies from brutal dismemberment abortions. He also supported measures to make sure abortion facilities give mothers the opportunity to see their unborn babies on an ultrasound and hear their heartbeats, as well as legislation to ensure abortion facilities meet basic health and safety standards.
Wright said Lucio has been an important vote in helping to pass pro-life laws in Texas, and pro-abortion groups dumped a ton of money into the race to defeat him.
“Sen. Lucio is a faithful Catholic who sees his service in the Texas Senate as his vocation. For 30 years he has supported pro-life, pro-family legislation faithfully,” she told LifeNews.
The pro-life Susan B. Anthony List also celebrated Lucio’s victory, praising him as a faithful pro-life ally.
“We are thrilled to see Eddie Lucio defeat Sara Stapleton-Barrera, who opposes all limits on abortion, and advocates for late term abortion up to the moment of birth,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “State Senator Lucio will continue to faithfully represent the interests of pro-life Texans who believe in commonsense limits on abortion that protect unborn babies and their moms.”
Many of the same pro-abortion groups who attacked Lucio with the racial slur claim to fight against racism. In June, Planned Parenthood even launched a campaign to fight “systemic racism” – deflecting from its own racist roots.
Meanwhile, Life PAC set up a website to refute the smear campaign by comparing Lucio’s strong pro-life record to his opponent’s positions. According to the pro-life group, Stapleton-Barrera is 100% with Planned Parenthood and opposes life-saving protections for babies who survive late-term abortions.
