Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez received approval on Wednesday for comparing Republicans banning critical race theory to Nazis burning books on MSNBC’s "The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle."

Ruhle introduced the subject noting that Texas appears to be suffering from a teacher shortage, claiming that a factor is that they are "under attack" from Republican politicians. Gutierrez agreed, suggesting that Govs. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Greg Abbott’s, R-Texas, efforts in banning critical race theory in schools is a key problem.

"Sometimes I think that Abbott is DeSantis's mini-me. Because what Florida does, Texas does. We had a weak, watered-down CRT bill, in a special session, because Abbott said we have to do something about CRT. Yet he won't do anything about guns. My suspicion is that that CRT bill is going to come back in the spring. We are going to see a much stringent CRT bill," Gutierrez said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the border on a tour

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott passed legislation against critical race theory in schools back in 2021. (ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images)

He continued, "Let’s face it. These aren't problems. But this is how bad things begin. And it’s how bad things may have begun historically. It is how, it's what happened in Nazi Germany. They began to burn books, they began to tell people how to think. That is what’s happening with people like Rick DeSantis [sic], people like Greg Abbott. People need to wake up. There is certainly a woke problem. But it's the fact that people need to wake up as to what’s happening with these two leaders in this country."

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DeSantis previously passed the Stop W.O.K.E. Act in April 2022 targeting critical race theory in schools while Abbott signed new legislation prohibiting teachings from the 1619 Project in June 2021.

Gutierrez continued to attack Abbott, claiming that the Texan has caused more deaths under his administration than any other governor of the state.

critical race theory sign

Parents have attacked the concept of critical race theory in their children's schools. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

"I think that it is high time that people understand that Greg Abbott has probably had more, and I don’t mean this - this is not sarcastic. He has had more to do with people dying in this state, than any governor, any governor, in our history. 800 people died during the winter storm in 2021. Nineteen kids, five massacres, already, and this man has done absolutely nothing other than waste our money on political stunts, with regard to his Operation Lone Star [border mission]. And let’s not have people forget that the Operation Lone Star police, those were the guys at Uvalde. And those were the guys that failed these kids," Gutierrez said. 

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In July, Texas State Rep. James Talarico likewise called Abbott "the greatest public safety threat" to the people in Texas.

Greg Abbott

A Texas state representative called Abbott "the greatest public safety threat to Texans." (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

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"You know me well and I try to be careful with what I say but Texans are dying. The kids in Uvalde, the teachers in Uvalde, the hundreds of Texas who died during the blackout last year, the Texans who died needlessly from Covid-19 because our governor chose to open bars too early in the pandemic. Greg Abbott is the greatest public safety threat in our state. He is the greatest public safety threat to Texans right now," Talarico said.