Democrats in Dallas’ suburbs selected Candace Valenzuela to be their nominee in one of the most hotly contested national races this year — putting her on track to be Congress’ first Afro-Latina member if she wins in the fall.
Valenzuela beat retired Air Force Col. Kim Olson on Tuesday in the Democratic runoff in Texas’ 24th Congressional District, which spans Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. As of 10 p.m., Valenzuela led in each county, a devastating blow for Olson who invested heavily in Tarrant County and promised to deliver a slate of Democratic victories in the statehouse. Olson had not conceded the race late Tuesday.
“I’m proud to announce tonight our grassroots coalition has won,” Valenzuela told supporters via Zoom before acknowledging her family. “We’ve made a commitment as this family to fight for this district, to fight for this state, to fight for this country.”
Valenzuela, a former Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board member, will now face former Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne, a Republican. The fall matchup is sure to be explosive with the issues of identity and progressive policies at the center of it.
Van Duyne wasted no time going on the attack.
“Candace has actively sought and received support from many extremist elected officials and organizations who believe in dismantling American security, fundamental rights, and crushing North Texans under socialized medicine and higher taxes on middle-class families,” she said in a statement.
National Democrats have singled out the suburban seat as key to their strategy of keeping the U.S. House of Representatives. As demographics in the district have shifted, the seat has become more competitive.
Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant easily won his seat nearly two decades ago. However, he narrowly held on in 2018, beating his Democratic opponent by just three points. Marchant, a Coppell resident, is one of six Republicans who are retiring from Congress at the end of the year.
Valenzuela was already the favorite of progressive Democrats in Washington, garnering endorsements from Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Georgia Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon. National support for Valenzuela is likely to intensify given the renewed attention on race issues.
Valenzuela, 36, made her identity as an Afro-Latina central to her candidacy: She looks more like the constituents of the district, which is now a majority non-white. She also argued that she was better suited to craft economic and social justice policies based on her experience growing up poor and homeless.
Olson and Valenzuela were the top two vote-getters in a crowded Democratic March primary. A runoff was triggered because neither woman earned more than 50% of the vote. Days after the primary, the coronavirus pandemic led to stay-at-home orders that limited campaigning and ultimately delayed the runoff, which was originally scheduled for May.
Both campaigns were forced to take their message online. Each hosted rounds of town halls on Zoom and Facebook. Olson invested heavily in early voting applications while Valenzuela went big on digital messaging such as text messages.
The race between Olson and Valenzuela largely focused on Olson’s resume and Valenzuela’s biography.
Olson was one of the nation’s first female military pilots. After leaving the Air Force, including a tour in Iraq, she worked in both the public and nonprofit sectors. She raised her profile substantially in 2018 when she ran to be the state’s agriculture commissioner.
The race intensified in recent weeks, punctuated by hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside spending. Groups supporting both women filled the airwaves, mailboxes and social media feeds promoting each candidate. Valenzuela’s supporters went negative, attacking Olson’s record as the former human resources director at the Dallas Independent School District.
