Meet our 2012 Endorsed Candidates
2012 Challengers
Endorsed Candidate: Mary Gonzalez
Dis trict: HD75, El Paso, Open Seat
Update: Faces Primary Challenge in 2012 Mary
E. González is a native of Clint, located in the lower valley outside
El Paso, Texas. She has dedicated her life to promoting social change
through her community engagement,
professional experiences and academic background. Previously, she has
worked for Texas State Representatives Paul Moreno and Richard Raymond
and as Assistant Director in the Office of Research and Demonstration at
the National Hispanic Institute. Today she is an adjunct professor at
Southwestern University while she finishes a doctorate in Curriculum and
Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin.
Currently Mary is the national President
for the Latina-focused, service sorority Kappa Delta Chi where she
represents thousands of young women that serve their communities. Mary
is a regular presenter on issues of race, gender, sexual identity and
coalition building, presenting at conferences including the National
Council of La Raza, The National Lesbian and Gay Task Force- Creating
Change Conference and the Latino Leadership Summit.
She has been recognized
by mylatinovoice.com as one of the "Hot 25 under 25" most influential
young Latinos in the country, as well as in Latino Leaders Magazine for
her leadership in education. Mary Gonzalez will be a much-needed
addition to the Texas house, and will be replacing a long-time male
Democrat with a spotty voting record on women's issues. HD75 is a
heavily Democratic seat, so the election will be decided in a primary,
which is currently crowded with three men in addition to Mary.
Endorsed Candidate: Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles
District: HD43, Alice
Update: Running in 2012
Annie's
List is proud to announce our endorsement of former State
Representative Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles in the newly created House
District 43.
Yvonne is a familiar face around Annie's List as she was one of the
first women the organization ever endorsed in our inaugural 2004
election cycle. After winning that year, she served in the Texas House
from 2005-2010There
has been a lot of coverage about HD-43 recently as the incumbent, J.M.
Lozano, switched parties to run as a Republican. Even as a Democrat in
the Texas House, Lozano voted against us on critical women’s health
issues repeatedly, so we know his voting record is only going to get
worse under the thumb of Rick Perry. This is now a true swing district
with Democrats performing at just around the 50% mark in down-ballot
races.
Under the old maps, Yvonne previously represented half of
the counties in this new district. In addition to her Chairwomanship,
she served six years as a member of the Energy Resources Committee,
which had oversight on the conservation, production, regulation,
transportation, and development of oil, gas, and other energy resources
of the Texas oil and gas industry. In other words, she is known and
trusted by key stakeholders in this district that is largely rural and
includes parts of the Eagle Ford Shale.
Now more than ever, we
need leaders who will take a balanced approach to the serious issues
facing Texas and who will never turn their back on the people who
elected them. The incumbent has proven he is incapable of both and he
must go. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles is a proven leader and we look
forward to supporting her in this bid to return to the Texas House. And
we are ready to put our time and resources behind making that happen. Yvonne's website coming soon!
Endorsed Candidate: Hon. Paula Pierson District: HD101, Arlington Update: Faces Primary Contest in 2012
Paula is respected by both sides of the political aisle
and has received recognition as a Life Member of the Arlington Chamber
of Commerce and as a Presidential appointee to the National Advisory
Council of the United States Small Business Administration. Paula is
also well known as the founder of the Alliance for Children, which has
served as a safe haven of kindness, counseling and care for over 20,000
child abuse victims.
"I have lived and worked in our
community for more than 40 years and I am committed to supporting the
families and businesses that call Arlington and Grand Prairie home,”
stated Pierson. “The current legislature endangered our children and our
communities by slashing funding for public education. Their actions
constitute a moral failure of leadership and will devastate our economic
future if we don’t correct our course."
Right now Paula is facing one opponent
in the Democratic primary in Chris Turner, another former Democratic
House member who previously represented HD-96. Both are seasoned
campaigners, so this is sure to be a spirited and competitive primary.
Endorsed Candidate: Hon. Carol Kent District: HD114, Dallas Update: Faces Primary Contest in 2012
Here
is a familiar face! Carol Kent was an endorsed candidate in 2008 and
won a resounding victory over a 20-year incumbent. Then her tenure in
the Legislature was cut short in 2010. In the interim, the federal court
in San Antonio reconfigured Dallas County and created a brand-new
district that encompasses Carol's home. It is a new, open seat with no
incumbent.
HD107 is a great opportunity to get Carol Kent back in the Texas House, and she has jumped at it.
In just 4 days on the campaign trail she has hired a campaign manager,
secured office space, and raised over $25,000. This is now a
Democratic-leaning district, so Carol will be working hard to lock up
support from key stakeholders and hopefully avoid a serious primary
challenge.
Once
elected, we know Carol will use her experience to focus on issues that
matter to the families in her district. She is committed to improving
education, expanding health care coverage for children, lowering college
tuition costs at Texas colleges and universities, improving air
quality, creating new jobs and expanding economic development. But first we need to get her back to work in Austin!
Carol is a time-tested, trusted leader that we can count on to represent women and their families.
But the road to 2012 will be long, and we need support from you to make
sure she has the resources she needs to stave off serious challenges.
Endorsed Candidate: Nicole Collier District: HD95, Fort Worth, Open Seat Update: Running in 2012 Nicole
Collier is a respected attorney, community leader, PTA mom, Democratic
activist, and small business owner in Fort Worth. She has been a
resident of Tarrant County for over 15 years. She is running for the
seat that was recently vacated by Rep. Marc Veasey as part of his run
for Congress.
Nicole’s
personal story is one of hard work, overcoming adversity and achieving
the American dream. Although she had her first child at age 16, she
completed high school and college while raising two small children as a
single mother without child support or paternal involvement. Today she
is the co-founder and managing partner of the Collier Martini, PLLC law
firm and a member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers
Association.
Nicole has the fresh perspective and community ties necessary to be a trusted leader for Fort Worth in the State House. Nicole's
strong work ethic and compelling personal story make her a top
contender for this heavily Democratic seat that encompasses a large part
of downtown Fort Worth. Two male candidates have entered the race
thus far, so we are gearing up to help Nicole hit the ground running
right away with a top-notch campaign.
Endorsed Candidate: Ann Johnson District: HD134, Houston Update: Running in 2012
 Ann
Johnson is running to recapture a seat we lost in 2010 when Annie's
List endorsed Rep. Ellen Cohen lost in the Republican wave in Harris
County. In the interim, Cohen has won a seat on the Houston City
Council, so we had to go back to recruiting in HD134 for the first time
since 2005.
Ann
is a respected attorney, law professor, cancer survivor and is no
stranger to politics after having worked in both the Texas Legislature
and the Clinton White House. She is the daughter of former State
Representative Jake Johnson and former Judge Carolyn Marks Johnson.
Today she manages the family’s law firm and she most often represents children in the juvenile court system. In
fact, she recently made statewide headlines after winning a landmark
case in front of the Texas Supreme Court that helps protect children
charged with prostitution.
The Republican incumbent, Sarah Davis,
showed her true colors as a right-wing partisan when she voted for a
budget that cut over $4 billion from Texas public schools; financial aid
for 30,000 low-income students; basic healthcare for almost 300,000
women, almost $2 billion from nursing homes and more. Annie’s List
believes that Ann Johnson is the right candidate to hold the incumbent
accountable for her atrocious and out-of-step voting record and win by
building a coalition of progressive and moderate voters that want a
thoughtful, independent leader in Austin.
Endorsed Candidate: Tina Torres  District: HD-117, San Antonio Update: Faces Primary Contest in 2012
Tina Torres is a seasoned and well-regarded attorney that comes from a legendary family of public servants in San Antonio. Her father, Pete Torres Jr., was one of the first Latinos elected to the San Antonio City Council in the 1960’s and her mother, Yolanda P. Torres, was the first Latina elected to the State Board of Education. Tina graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and St. Mary’s School of Law in 1996. She is the past president of the Mexican-American Bar Association and an active supporter of Child Advocates of San Antonio (C.A.S.A.), Urban Connection and the Inman Christian Center. She is also active in the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA).
We need Tina Torres in the Texas House of Representatives to fight for our public schools, to make sure that women have access to basic health care and to hold Republicans accountable. She has a powerful and unwavering voice and is a fighter at heart like her mom and dad. With our help, she will win and will be the first Latina to serve in the Texas House from Bexar County in 14 long years!
Endorsed Candidate: Dr. Rosemary Robbins District: HD-105 Irving Update: Running in 2012 Dr.
Rosemary Robbins is the Democratic candidate for Texas House District
105 in Irving. Rosemary is well known and respected in the community,
just finished her PhD, and owns a small business that provides
alternative teacher certification. Rosemary began her career in the
classroom as a teacher, and finally, as a principal in Irving. Outside
the classroom she is a regular volunteer at The Stewpot, a safe haven
and resource for Dallas’ homeless. Rosemary will be a strong,
independent advocate in the Texas House of Representatives and is
uniquely qualified to capture this in November. The new HD-105, as drawn
by a federal court in San Antonio, is a swing seat and is poised for a
changing of the guard. The Republican incumbent, Linda Harper-Brown, who
has been dogged by scandal stemming from an unreported “gift” of a
Mercedes-Benz, has been a reliable vote against classroom funding, clean
air standards, women’s access to health care, and much more. Annie’s
List believes that Dr. Rosemary Robbins is the right candidate to hold
Linda Harper-Benz accountable for her dismal voting record and win by
building a strong coalition of progressive and moderate voters that are
ready for honest, independent leadership in Austin. Annie’s List and our
6,000 women donors across Texas will be supporting Dr. Rosemary Robbins
with substantial financial and technical resources throughout 2012. Rosemary's website coming soon!
Endorsed Candidate: Toni Rose District: HD-110 Dallas Update: Primary Contest in 2012
Toni
Rose is the Democratic candidate for House District 110 in Dallas. Toni
has a distinguished background of public service both as a mental
health professional at Parkland Hospital and as a life-long, committed
community volunteer and activist. Toni grew up in the district and
attended Paul Quinn College where she received Bachelor of Science in
Criminal Justice and became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She
continues to serve Delta Sigma Theta as the State Social Action
Co-Coordinator and is the Dallas Alumnae Chapter Vice President. Texas
HD 110 is the most Democratic district in the state having
overwhelmingly voted for progressive, Democratic candidates in election
after election. As a result, this race will likely be decided in the
primary. Toni’s record of service in such organizations as the Texas
Coalition of Black Democrats, the League of Women Voters of Dallas, and
her work with the NAACP has positioned her as a true champion and a
trusted advocate in her community. –Unlike her primary opponent, Larry Taylor, whose Republican voting activity has come under increasing
scrutiny by trusted community leaders. Annie’s List believes
that Toni Rose is the right candidate for Texas House District 110 in
Dallas. Toni’s extensive and life-long service to her community puts
Toni in the best position to build a winning progressive, Democratic
coalition. For more information about Toni, visit her campaign Facebook page.
Endorsed Candidate: Mary Ann Perez District: HD-144, Houston Update:
Annie’s
List is proud to announce the endorsement of Marry Ann Perez for State
House District 144 in Houston. Mary Ann is a mom, education advocate,
civic volunteer, and small business owner. Most recently, she was
elected to serve as the President of the Houston County Community
College Board of Trustees. As a Houston Community
College (HCC) Trustee, Mary Ann spearheaded ethics reform meant to
provide taxpayers and HCC stakeholders greater accountability and
professionalism. Combined with Perez’s experience as the owner of a
successful insurance and financial service agency, Mary Ann brings a
level of managerial experience and a dedication to principled leadership
that is sorely lacking in the Texas Legislature. Mary
Ann’s service to her community started with her son’s David and
Daniel’s schools and Little League teams. She also serves as the
President of the Meadow Creek Civic Association and is a Democratic
Precinct Chair. Finally, Mary Ann is a member of the National Hispanic
Professionals Organization, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Las
Comadres. Annie’s List believes that Mary Ann has a proven
track record of service and is a trusted leader for Pasadena and South
Houston in the State House. There are several different versions of this
district on the maps that has been proposed thus far. However, we have
decided not to wait for the redistricting saga to play out before
helping Mary Ann put together a solid campaign structure and get started
on winning in 2012
2012 Incumbents
Endorsed Incumbent Candidates
|
Fort Worth, TX
Incumbent
District 10
Running for reelection in 2012
|
Incumbent
House District 141
Running for reelection in 2012
_____________________________________________________________
Houston, TX
Incumbent
House District 143
Running for reelection 2012
_____________________________________________________________
Houston, TX
Incumbent
House District 145
Running for reelection 2012
_____________________________________________________________
Houston, TX
Incumbent
House District 148
Running for reelection 2012
_____________________________________________________________
McAllen, TX
Incumbent
House District 41
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Incumbent
House District 131
Running for reelection 2012
|
|