Abbott says opponent Hinojosa supports Sharia law

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ripped state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee in the Texas gubernatorial race, for an endorsement she received from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group designated in Texas as a foreign terrorist organization.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, the Republican — who is running for his fourth term as governor — accused Hinojosa of backing Islamic extremism and Sharia law. 

“Gina supports that endorsement that she got from them because she supports Sharia law, she supports Sharia communities,” he said. “What I’m focused on doing is making sure that we ban Sharia law, Sharia cities, Sharia compounds.”

Abbott’s campaign released an ad on Sunday painting Hinojosa as “dangerous” for Texans, positioning himself as the “common-sense” choice in contrast to her “radical” views.

“Gina Hinojosa is too radical for Texas. She supports deadly open-border policies, higher taxes, and even wants to give illegal immigrants taxpayer-funded healthcare. Texans have a decision to make: the chaos that Gina Hinojosa would bring or the common-sense leadership of Governor Abbott,” Abbott communications director Catherine Frazier said in a statement.

The accusations of her ties to the group stem from Senate Bill 1900, which designated organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations in Texas, and was later signed into law by Abbott. Hinojosa had voted against the legislation.

In the 88th Legislative Session, Hinojosa voted against Senate Bill 1900, a Texas law that allowed Abbott to designate organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations. It was signed into law by Abbott

Accusations of ties to Islamic extremist groups have become a faultline in midterm election races across the country, notably regarding groups such as CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood.

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed recently pushed back on allegations that he is tied to the Islamist political group the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing Fox News’s Bret Baier in an interview of insinuating that he has “dual loyalty,” and denied ever being a member of the group.

“I’m interested in serving the United States,” El-Sayed said. “I’m interested in swearing an oath to the constitution that every senator has sworn an oath to.”