Now, as the conventional wisdom appears to be that Chavez is behind in her race to win a sixth term, things have gotten personal. Chavez has said that Gonzalez is a lesbian and should publicly come out.
Chavez claims that the issue is relevant because it may influence their legislative opinions. Chavez opposes gay marriage. Gonzalez has not stated her personal opinion on the issue but has said she will respect the wishes of Texas voters, who voted to add an amendment banning gay marriage to the state constitution in 2005.
The El Paso Times reported that many El Paso Democrats, including County Party Chair Danny Anchondo, have shown disapproval for Chavez's tactics.
"If somebody is lesbian or gay, our arms are open to all these individuals," Anchondo said. "All these people are part of the party, so I don't understand why someone would be using those terms to attack somebody."
Early voting in this race (and all other Texas runoffs) begins tomorrow.
Updated: A reader from El Paso sends in this video from the Lion Star Blog of the candidate forum during which Chavez brought up Gonzalez's sexual orientation. The statement begins around the 6:29 mark.
