Latina organizer newest Senate challenger to Texas' Cornyn

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The founder of a Latino progressive group in Texas is joining the growing list of Democrats lining up to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn in 2020.

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez launched her U.S. Senate campaign Monday. She's the founder of a Latino voter mobilization effort called the Jolt Initiative.

Her launch video alludes to this month's mass shooting in El Paso that authorities say was carried out by a gunman who railed against an influx of Hispanics into the United States.

Tzintzún Ramirez says hateful rhetoric has allowed "people to feel like they can target us on the streets of our community."

She joins a Democratic primary field that remains unsettled in Texas after former Rep. Beto O'Rourke passed on another Senate run to seek the White House instead.