Candace Valenzuela Could Be The First Afro-Latina Elected To The House Of Representatives!

Candace Valenzuela could become the first Black Latina elected to the House.

We need more women of color in Congress.

Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX) is the latest Republican who chose to no longer seek reelection. It has made the House of Representatives more competitive. Democrats believe they'll keep control of the House and could take back the Senate. But they're hoping to beat Donald J. Trump in the general.

With Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the ballot, the possibility is there. But I want to stress caution.

We don't want to have a repeat of Walter Mondale or Hillary Clinton. Don't underestimate the power of white voters, leftists, Fox News, foreign entities like Russia, Trump's loyal base and the dirty tactics of the Republican Party. They will stop at nothing to stop Biden from becoming the next president.

So please register to vote. Vote absentee. Vote mail-in. Vote in person (safely). Vote for Biden-Harris.

Last month a little known candidate is going to be getting some attention now.

Democratic nominee Candace Valenzuela, 36 could become the first Afro-Latina American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She beat Democratic rival Kim Olsen and now is set to take on Republican nominee Beth Van Duyne in the general.

Van Duyne is the white nationalist who served a mayor of Irving, Texas. She is the one who defended the decision to arrest a teen who made a clock a teacher thought was a bomb. This white nationalist outlawed, Sharia law in the city of Irving. She made appearances on Fox News. She is a supporter of Trump's bullshit.

The Texas 24th Congressional District is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The district is solid Republican but given how Trump's tanking in Texas, Democrats see a pickup opportunity.

White nationalist who was mayor of Irving, Texas is running as a Republican.

Valenzuela has the backing of EMILY's List, End Citizens United, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian American Pacific Caucus.

Valenzuela was a member of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Board of Trustees At-Large in Texas. She assumed the office in 2017 but left to run for Congress in 2019.

She struggled throughout her childhood. She was born in El Paso, Texas. She was born to African American father and Mexican American mother. She had lived some days on the streets when she was young. She can testify to the safety net.

From living on the streets to become a board member of school district and now a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House is a huge achievement.

The 24th District's population is more than half people of color, including one-quarter Latinx and 13% Black.

Candace is married with two children. She beat back a candidate endorsed by the Democratic establishment.

Her family is in many ways quintessentially American: Her great-grandfather was an immigrant from Durango, Mexico, and fought in the U.S. military in World War I. Both her parents were also in the military. "My dad used to jump out of planes, my mom used to fix them," she said.

Despite all this, Valenzuela says the people in her family have, at times, been treated like outsiders. Her grandparents, American citizens whose first language was Spanish, were beaten in school for speaking Spanish, as was her mother.

"I say this as a Latina, as an African-American woman: I have a visceral sense of how my family has built and defended this country," Valenzuela said. She noted that her family has been in the U.S. longer than her white husband's — "but nobody questions my husband's citizenship or his right to be here, or be in charge, but I'm constantly facing that question."

Valenzuela's parents split when she was young. She, her mother and her younger brother ended up with relatives in what Valenzuela called "an abusive situation." Fleeing violence, they ended up living on the street for a few nights when she was 3 or 4 years old, her brother still in diapers.

Valenzuela credits government-subsidized housing and food stamps, as well as a public school education, with providing the stability she needed. She remained in the same school district from second grade on, got a full scholarship to attend Claremont McKenna College near Los Angeles, and later worked in education. She got her first taste of electoral politics when she ran for school board in Texas in 2017 and won, serving two and a half years before deciding to run for Congress.

If she does win, she could become another member of the Squad.

The Squad consist of members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).

If Missouri Democratic nominee Cori Bush does win the general election, she will likely join the Squad. She beaten longtime St. Louis lawmaker Rep. (William) Lacy Clay (D-MO).