In a historic move for Texas, two Hispanic women are headed to Congress in 2018 from the state, according to the Texas Tribune. With primary elections underway, a strong Democratic turnout is seeing slight shifts and changes for some of the most important rooms in the state - and the country.
Veronica Escobar, a former judge in El Paso, won her seat Tuesday night while Senator Sylvia Garcia won her Democratic nomination, making them the first Latinas to head to Congress from Texas. For Escobar, the victory was hard-won, and she knows first-hand just how difficult it can be for women, particularly women of color, to run successful campaigns and win.
"It’s really hard for women to run when you have children. Even in the most modern of marriages or partnerships, frequently the mother is the primary caregiver," she said. "Timing has to be right for a lot of us. And I think it’s even harder for women of color because fundraising is really such a huge component of running in a congressional race and many of us may have limited networks."
It's an important stride for representation for people of color in politics, and that's something not lost on Garcia. "I wanted Latino girls and boys to know this is a state of opportunity and it's a welcoming state," Garcia said. "You have to work hard and believe in yourself and you can do it."
The New York Times reports that there is a brand new wave of Democratic women of color and members of the LGBT community are running for the first time in Texas, likely in response to the Trump administration.
These wins come after Tuesday's first primary vote of 2018, which saw a strong wave of Democrat voters taking to the polls in significant numbers, especially in the state's biggest cities such as Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. For Texans in general, it was the biggest early vote turnout ever in a non-presidential election year.
