WP: Democrats Gaining A Foothold in Texas [View All]

[kskiska]

Increasing Hispanic Population Is Credited With Diversifying Winners of Local Races

ALLAS, Nov. 9 -- Lupe Valdez is a woman, a Hispanic, a Democrat and a lesbian -- and, come Jan. 1, she's entering the ranks of Texas good ol' boys. Valdez is becoming Sheriff Lupe.

Any one description -- female, Latina, Democrat and openly gay -- would have qualified Valdez's election as Dallas County sheriff for the local history books. But all four?

"Who would've ever imagined . . .?" editorialized the Dallas Morning News, which endorsed Valdez. Valdez, who faced three opponents in a March Democratic primary and then advanced to an April runoff, last week edged out Republican Danny Chandler, a 30-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department.

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It speaks also of a political trend in one of Texas's largest urban counties: a growing Democratic and Latino electorate. In one of the most Republican states four years ago and this presidential election, President Bush's margin of victory was relatively small in Dallas County. In 2000 an unknown, underfinanced Democratic candidate for district judge lost by less than a percentage point, and in 2002 two female Hispanic Democratic candidates for district judge fell just short of winning. Then, last week, more than 600,000 voters turned out, electing Dallas County's first Hispanic district judge and its first Hispanic sheriff, both Democrats and both women.

"Dallas has been viewed as the beachhead, where we start turning the state back Democratic," said Susan Hays, chairwoman of the Dallas County Democratic Party.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37994-2004Nov9.html