Wed. May 23, 2018
Dallas, TX -
Lupe Valdez on Tuesday won a Democratic primary runoff for Texas governor.
Valdez made history by becoming the first openly gay and Latina candidate for governor of Texas.
A former sheriff from Dallas, Valdez faced Andrew White, the son of the late Governor Mark White, in Tuesday's runoff election.
She'll face Republican Governor Greg Abbott, a vocal opponent of LGBT rights, in the general election. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat for governor in nearly 30 years.
"I'm getting darn good at uphill battles," she told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night. "And I'm not done yet."
The LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed Valdez's campaign.
"Tonight Texans made history by making Lupe Valdez the first openly lesbian woman to win the gubernatorial nomination from a major political party – the latest in a series of groundbreaking wins for LGBTQ candidates in the state," Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said in a statement. "While bigoted state legislators in Austin continue to divide the state and target our community, Texans are voting for LGBTQ candidates because we are authentic, values-driven leaders who deliver on promises. That is why Lupe won, and we will work hard to expose Governor Abbott's cynical politics of divisiveness and showcase Lupe's positive agenda for Texans over the next five months."
(Related: Lupe Valdez "politely" calls Trump "two-faced" on LGBT rights.)
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