WASHINGTON — Today, the Voter Protection Project, the largest national PAC focused on voting rights, has announced a $130,000 direct mail independent expenditure in Texas’s 24th Congressional District to boost voting rights champion, Democrat Candace Valenzuela in the July 14th runoff election.
The 24th Congressional District is one of democrats’ best pick-up opportunities in the nation. After recognizing the difficulty of holding on to this trending democratic district, Representative Kenny Marchant decided not to seek re-election. Beto O’Rourke defeated Ted Cruz in the 24th district 51% to 47% in the 2018 U.S. Senate Race.
Voter Protection Project President Matt Liebman released the following statement on VPP’s support of Valenzuela:
“Candace Valenzuela has been a fierce advocate for expanding access to our democratic process and has fought for transparency in government. In Congress, we know that Candace will stand up against corporate special interests and be a voice for all of our communities. With aggressive attacks in the state of Texas on the right to vote, we need more leaders like Candace protecting our democratic institutions.”
Valenzuela became the first Latina and first African-American woman to serve on the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board. The daughter of U.S. Army veterans, Candace was born and raised in El Paso, Texas into a family with generations of military service. Her great-grandfather came to the United States from Mexico, eventually fighting in World War I. And her grandfather fought in World War II. She often says that her father once jumped out of airplanes for a living, while her mother fixed them.
After her mother left the military, her family struggled financially and, for a time, they were homeless. Despite these challenges, Candace persevered and excelled, becoming her high school’s First Distinguished Graduate. She then graduated from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, on a full scholarship, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college
Founded in 2019, the Voter Protection Project is a leading political arm working to end partisan gerrymandering and voter suppression across the country. In light of the Supreme Court’s Rucho v. Common Cause ruling, which stated that federal courts cannot regulate partisan gerrymandering, VPP has been taking the fight to Republicans state-by-state supporting candidates for office at the federal and state levels that are champions for voter equality.
To learn more about the Voter Protection Project, visit www.protectvoting.org.
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