Equality PAC, a political action committee formed by members of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, is endorsing San Antonian Gina Ortiz Jones in the race for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas.
“Gina Ortiz Jones is exactly the kind of candidate we need to gain a pro-equality majority in 2018,” Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA), the chair Equality PAC, said in announcing the endorsement. “Gina bravely served our country in uniform under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and knows first hand the corrosive effect of anti-LGBT policies.”
“Her voice and perspective will be an invaluable addition to not just debates on equality, but military readiness, national security, health care policy, and all the myriad issues members of Congress face every day,” Takano added. “Equality PAC is proud to announce Gina as our first non-incumbent endorsement, a sign of how much faith we have in her and her campaign for Congress.”
Jones is a graduate of John Jay High School who was raised by a single mom who came to the U.S. from the Philippines. She earned a BA and MA in economics from Boston University which she attended on a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship.
After serving in the Air Force for three years, Jones pursued a career in national security, intelligence, and defense which included working for the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency.
Most recently, Jones was employed in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where she worked until last June when she moved back to San Antonio. She now lives in her childhood home on city’s northwest side. Her partner, who is a professional photographer, is still living in DC.
Congressional District 23 encompasses a stretch of Texas from San Antonio to El Paso. Jones was the first Democrat to announce her candidacy in the race against Republican incumbent Will Hurd who has held the seat for two terms.
The three other Democrats running in the primary are: federal prosecutor Jay Hulings from San Antonio; Judith Canales, a USDA administrator from Eagle Pass; and Rick Treviño, a teacher from San Antonio who ran for City Council earlier this year.
“Talent is everywhere; opportunity is not,” Jones said in the announcement of her Equality PAC endorsement. “I am excited to join with Equality PAC in working to fix that, and I am honored by their early endorsement. Representation matters now more than ever, and it’s important that we have a Congress that looks like America. I look forward to taking my lived experiences to Washington, and fighting to protect the opportunities of every American.”
