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.)