TX-24: Hispanic Caucus all in with Latina in crowded primary
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) campaign arm is all-in in its backing of a Texas Latina Democrat running in a crowded Dallas-area House primary, as few top-tier Hispanic candidates have so far made an impression in 2020 races.
Candace Valenzuela, a local school board member, is among seven Democrats competing for the party's nomination to chase the House seat left open by the retirement of Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas).
"Candace's life experience and commitment to making education an equalizer for children in her community are only a few of the reasons why Candace will make a great colleague in Congress," said Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), chairman of Bold PAC, the CHC's campaign arm.
"As the only Latina running in a competitive open seat in Texas this cycle, Bold PAC is proud to endorse and support her campaign and will continue to help build a coalition around her race," he added.
Bold PAC commissioned a poll of primary voters in the district to determine the strength of Valenzuela's candidacy.
According to the poll, 14 percent of baseline Democratic primary voters in the district favored Valenzuela, while 12 percent favored her nearest rival, Kim Olson, who was the Democratic nominee for Texas Agricultural Commissioner in 2018.
"[The candidates have] a lot of similarities in accomplishments, but because Candace is the only Latina, we think if she could consolidate that base that could give her a leg up," said Albert Morales, political director at Latino Decisions, the firm that conducted the poll.
https://thehill.com/latino/467717-hispanic-caucus-all-in-with-latina-in-crowded-texas-primary
