While we were all busy with the Memorial Day holiday and the Roseanne scandal, something historical happened in the states of Georgia and Texas: an African-American woman and a Hispanic woman each won the Democratic nomination to become the next governor of their respective states.
Politics
The news was historic. Last week, Georgia Democrats chose Atlanta lawyer Stacey Abrams to be their nominee for Governor (Republicans are still in a runoff). On the same night, Texas Democrats nominated Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez to take on Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
No wonder Democrats have been dancing in the streets.
The 44-year-old Abrams is not only a politician, but a lawyer, romance novelist, and businesswoman who served as the house minority leader for the Georgia General Assembly and state representative for the 89th House District. National Democrats are understandably excited about the prospect of her becoming the first black woman to be elected governor in not only Georgia’s history but US history. Granted, Georgia is still a red state, Republicans control all of the major statewide offices, and Abrams is a serious underdog. However, her climb to this moment in history is nothing short of monumental.
Guadalupe Valdez, age 70, is a US Army veteran and former law enforcement official who served as the Sheriff of Dallas County, Texas, from 2005 to 2017. She also happens to be gay. Although her chances of beating Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott are widely seen as a steep uphill climb, if elected, she would become Texas’ first openly gay, latina governor.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost the State of Georgia by only 5 percentage points, which has Democrats believing that maybe, just maybe, Abrams can pull off an upset and make history.
In Texas, a new poll shows Gov. Abbott has doubled his lead over Valdez by a margin of 53% to 34% which has Democrats worried. She has been weighed down in recent days for the news that she owes more than $12,000 in overdue taxes.
The general election that will decide the fate of Abrams in Georgia and Valdez in Texas will take place November 6, 2018.
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Thanks DJ. I had hoped you’d do a post about Stacey Abrams and her historical win. I only recently became aware of her via several friends and family members of mine who live in the Atlanta metro areas. They are very familiar with her from a professional standpoint and support her candidacy for Governor. I’ve watched her give a few tv interviews and found her, and her resume, to be impressive. Her chances of winning the governorship of Georgia is long shot but if what I’ve seen and heard thus far is any indication of her fitness for the job, she seems quite skilled, capable and competent. I think she’ll be a formidable candidate. And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she actually wins. Re: Guadalupe Valdez, I had not heard of Ms Valdez prior to your post. Personally, I don’t know why anyone would want to run for political… Read more »