Lupe Valdez Could Make History As Texas First Hispanic Governor

Lupe Valdez has her eyes set on a doubly historic feat a victory in the November elections that would make her both Texas first Hispanic governor and the first openly queer person to hold that office.

It wont be easy. The former Dallas County sheriff, who is running on a progressive platform , faces a May 22 runoff for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination against Andrew White a straight, white Houston businessman and son of a former governor, who is running as a centrist.

Should she win that race and shes favored, having come out well ahead of him in Marchs nine-candidate primary Valdez will then confront an uphill battle to defeat Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He beat his 2014 opponent, then-state Sen. Wendy Davis, in a landslide . And Texas hasnt elected a Democrat to any statewide office since 1994 (the last one to win the governorship was Ann Richards in 1990).

But for Valdez, overcoming obstacles is nothing new.

The 70-year-old grew up one of eight children of Mexican-American migrant workers. Embarking on a career in law enforcement after a stint in the Army, she navigated the challenges of being a lesbian woman of color in conservative Texas ultimately making history in 2004 as the nations only Latina sheriff, and among the states first openly gay sheriffs.

You want to see my scars? Valdez joked to HuffPost in March, speaking of the discrimination she faced as a queer woman in Texas law enforcement. The first four or five years [as sheriff] were extremely difficult. I got hate email and faxes. I got pushback from a lot of the good old boys.

You can make them stepping stones, she said of her experiences overcoming prejudice, and become a leader who is sensitive to the issues of people who have been discriminated against.

For Latinos in the border state, who comprise nearly 40 percent of Texas population , a Valdez victory this fall would mark a triumph of representation they would finally see someone like themselves in the governors chair. Analysts say the Latino vote will be key for Valdez to win, as she and her campaign deal with the difficulty Democrats have long faced in Texas of trying to increase historically low turnout among that demographic.

Its long overdue to have Latinas sit in these halls of power, said native Texan Amy Hinojosa, president of national Latina organization MANA . When you think of the generations of girls to come, to see a Latina, a queer woman in the state house, that just represents such power for young women to be able to aspire to that.

For some Democrats in Texas, it is precisely Valdezs personal history and her background coming from underrepresented groups that makes her so appealing.

Her story is very compelling. Its a lot like that of a lot of people in Texas, Ed Espinoza, executive director of progressive media group Progress Texas , told HuffPost. Shes from an immigrant family, has military and law enforcement [background], is Latina, a lesbian. She came from nothing, went through the ranks.

Thats exactly what were lacking in statewide office, he added. Having a background that looks like the people youre representing.

Still, some Texas Latino activist groups have called out Valdezs record as sheriff on immigration issues. They specifically note her departments cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and challenge whether her actions live up to her progressive platform.