During the first and only gubernatorial debate with his opponent, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said passing a bathroom bill was “not on my agenda,” marking a change from the position he held during the last session of the state legislature. Valdez, the first openly LGBT major party candidate for…
Valdez Agrees to Debate Abbott on Sept. 28 in Austin
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Lupe Valdez, the Democratic candidate for governor, has agreed to debate the Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott, on Sept. 28 in Austin, ending weeks of uncertainty over whether the two would face off. Earlier this summer, Abbott announced his RSVP for the Austin debate, which is being hosted by Nexstar…
A Houston Judge Could be Elected First Gay Justice on Texas Supreme Court
A state district court judge from Houston will be on the ballot in November as a candidate for the Texas Supreme Court and if he wins, he will become the first openly gay justice on state’s highest court and the first openly LGBTQ statewide official in Texas history. Democratic Judge Steven Kirkland of Harris County’s…
Abbott Agrees to Debate with Valdez, Who Says, “Call Me, Maybe?”
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune Gov. Greg Abbott has accepted an invitation from a TV station group to debate Democratic opponent Lupe Valdez on Sept. 28 in Austin — and she says she’s “in” but doesn’t sound sold on the specifics yet. The Republican governor’s campaign made the first move Wednesday evening, announcing it…
Lupe Valdez Becomes First Openly Gay and First Latina Candidate to Win a Major Party Nomination for Texas Governor
By Patrick Svitek and Brandon Formby The Texas Tribune, May 22, 2018 After a tight race throughout much of the evening Tuesday, Lupe Valdez pulled ahead late to comfortably defeat Andrew White in the Democratic runoff for governor, according to unofficial returns. Valdez goes into the November general election as the first openly lesbian and…
How the “Bathroom Bill” Helped Push a Republican PAC to Spend Millions on Moderates in Texas
By Cassandra Pollock, The Texas Tribune May 16, 2018 In September, the Texas Capitol was finally starting to calm down. A couple of contentious legislative sessions had pitted the Legislature’s Republican centrists against hard-line conservatives, largely over measures regulating which restrooms transgender Texans could use. Members had returned to their districts, almost certain the “bathroom…
Lupe Valdez, Andrew White Clash Over Abortion, Immigration in Debate
By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune May 11, 2018 The Democratic runoff candidates for governor sparred Friday evening over abortion and immigration in their first and likely only debate before the May 22 election. Meeting at a church in Austin, Andrew White and Lupe Valdez sounded out their differences — sometimes with rancor — over…
Abbott Campaign Ad Attacks Lupe Valdez as ‘Too Liberal for Texas’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released an ad attacking Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez as being “wrong for Texas” and makes mention of her sexual orientation indirectly by displaying a quote by Valdez in which she mentions her partner. In the 30-second ad, Abbott slams Valdez saying she would overturn legislation banning sanctuary cities and the…
Lupe Valdez agrees to debate Andrew White on May 11 in Austin
By Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune May 2, 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez has accepted an invitation to debate her runoff opponent, Andrew White, on May 11 in Austin, according to her campaign. White, who was the runner-up in the March primary, has been pushing to debate Valdez since the beginning of the runoff. Up…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Opposed Controversial “Bathroom Bill,” State Legislator Says
By Emma Platoff, Texas Tribune March 13, 2018 Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout. Gov. Greg Abbott himself was opposed to the controversial “bathroom bill” that dominated debate at the Texas Capitol for much of 2017, according to a state representative involved in keeping the legislation from passing the Texas House. State Rep.…