Senate candidate apologizes for saying her surname, Tzintzún, is ‘more Mexican’ than others

Democratic Senate contender Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez on Monday apologized for saying that part of her surname, Tzintzún, is “more Mexican than any Garcia or Lopez.”

“Tzintzún is more Mexican than any Garcia or Lopez,” the activist told a gathering of Democratic women in Plano. “We were the only indigenous group in Mexico that were not defeated by the Aztecs. So you know I come from good lineage and I’m ready to defeat John Cornyn.”

The remark, which she’s made at other events, caused an uproar on social media after appearing in a profile of Tzintzún Ramirez in The Dallas Morning News.

On Monday, she apologized on Twitter for what she described as a joke.

“I was coming from a place where people often assume Tzintzún isn’t a Mexican last name, which is why I made this joke on the trail, but I clearly took the wrong approach and want to apologize,” she wrote. “I’ve spoken openly about the fact that my identity has been questioned and attacked my whole life, and I have always said that there’s no wrong way to be a Latina/Latino/Latinx and I truly believe that.”

Tzintzún Ramirez is running in a crowded Democratic field for Senate against incumbent Republican John Cornyn. Her strategy for winning the party’s nomination and the general election involves mobilizing Hispanic and young voters. She says she hopes to get at least 60% of the Latino vote in the March 3 primary.

The controversy over her remarks could hinder that effort. One Democrat, Huey Ray Fischer, said Tzintzún Ramirez’s comment made him “uncomfortable” and caused him to “look at other candidates.”

“Embracing this weird Purépecha indigenous superiority is problematic and downright weird,” he said on social media. “I’m sorry that my brown immigrant mom (García) is less Mexican.”

On Monday Fischer said he appreciated Tzintzún Ramirez’s apology.

Republicans joined the criticism of their potential rival’s remarks. Joanna Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tweeted that Tzintzún Ramirez diminished the “Hispanic-ness of thousands.”

Tzintzún Ramirez was born in Ohio to Ana Tzintzún and Tom Costello. Her original surname was Costello, which she changed to Tzintzún as an adult. Shortly before her run for Senate, she began using her ex-husband’s surname, Ramirez. The couple divorced in December.

As for the controversial remark, the city of Tzintzuntzan was part of the Tarascan empire that held off Aztec invasions from 1450 to 1521.

According a campaign aide, Tzintzún Ramirez wanted to address concerns about her remarks and remains committed to developing a winning coalition.

“Building this kind of large, grassroots coalition isn’t easy,” she wrote on Twitter. “If it were, we would have flipped Texas a long time ago.”