Some El Paso residents expressed concern after DeadBeach Brewery hosted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott during a campaign stop in the city on Feb. 26.
Abbott visited the brewery as one of three Texas locations for his campaign’s “Let’s Roll” get-out-the-vote events ahead of the Texas gubernatorial primary election.
Following the visit, several people criticized DeadBeach Brewery in the comments section of its Instagram account. Some commenters said Abbott does not support the El Paso community and called for a boycott of the brewery for hosting him. Others defended the business, saying it is a private venue, has previously supported Democratic candidates, and regularly rents its space for events that benefit its employees and the local community.
One commenter, Elizabeth Gomez, wrote that she would no longer patronize the brewery, expressing disappointment over the visit. Her comment was among several posted on an Instagram post promoting the upcoming Borderland BeerFest scheduled for April 11.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made a campaign stop in El Paso at the DeadBeach Brewery located at 3200 Durazno Ave. on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Jason Hunt, one of the owners of DeadBeach Brewery, said the business allows people to express differing viewpoints and rents its venue to a wide range of groups.
“Everybody’s entitled to their own voice,” Hunt said. “It’s not my place to say that one voice is more correct than another. I understand that people are upset. It does hurt, considering how much I’ve tried to do for my community, but I didn’t mute or delete comments because people have a right to share how they feel.”
Hunt said DeadBeach aims to be an inclusive space and does not align itself with any political party.
“I’ve worked very hard to create a safe place for everybody,” he said. “We host community events like Borderland BeerFest and rent our venue to a lot of different groups. Over the years, that has included politicians from both parties.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made a campaign stop in El Paso at the DeadBeach Brewery located at 3200 Durazno Ave. on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Hunt noted that Democratic leaders, including U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, have also held events at the brewery. O’Rourke launched his 2022 gubernatorial campaign at DeadBeach.
“We’re a safe place for everybody. We’re just trying to make El Paso proud. Trying to be a good local business for everybody,” Hunt said. “Our entire team is from El Paso, and this community is extremely important to us.”
Jud Burgess, owner of Brave Books, also commented on the situation in a video posted to his Instagram account, sharing his perspective on the backlash the brewery received on social media.
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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: DeadBeach Brewery faces backlash after hosting Gov. Abbott