Lupe Valdez
Lupe Valdez | |
---|---|
Sheriff of Dallas County | |
In office January 1, 2005 – December 6, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Jim Bowles |
Succeeded by | Marian Brown |
Personal details | |
Born | Guadalupe Valdez October 11, 1947 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Southern Nazarene University (BA) University of Texas, Arlington (MA) |
Website | Official website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Rank | Captain |
Guadalupe Valdez (born October 11, 1947) is an
Early life
Valdez was born and raised in
Early career
Prior to entering law enforcement, Lupe Valdez was an officer in the
Her law enforcement career began as a jailer, first in a
Political career
Elections and terms as sheriff
On January 2, 2004, Lupe Valdez announced her candidacy for the
As she entered the general campaign, Valdez was widely considered the underdog in her general election race against
She was sworn in on January 1, 2005. Upon taking office as Dallas County Sheriff, Valdez faced a department that was wracked by poor morale, tainted by allegations of corruption and marred by the fact that the Dallas County Jail had begun failing state and federal inspections prior to her election. The jail had failed inspections because of poor sanitation conditions which endanger prisoners, many of whom have not ultimately been found to be guilty of any crime and are merely being held pending being formally charged or, released; a failing smoke evacuation system, unacceptable medical care, and a lack of sufficient guards to meet the legally required guard-to-inmate ratio.[4]
Although the Dallas County Jail had begun failing state and federal inspections prior to Valdez being elected to office, the jail continued to fail inspections every year thereafter until 2010, when the jail passed certification by the State of Texas for the first time since 2003.[4]
Valdez formally filed for re-election to a second term on December 3, 2007.[5] Valdez won the 2008 primary, narrowly avoiding a runoff by winning 50.85% in a four-candidate field on March 4, 2008.[6] On November 4, 2008, Lupe Valdez was re-elected Sheriff of Dallas County with 388,327 votes to Lowell Cannaday's 322,808 votes, a margin of roughly 65,500. Valdez received over 99,000 more votes than the "Straight Democratic" option. She won in precincts across Dallas County, including formerly Republican areas including Valley Ranch in Irving and Mesquite.[7] She began her second four-year term on January 1, 2009.
In 2010, the Dallas County Jails passed inspection by the State of Texas for the first time since 2003. Completion of a new jail facility in 2009 and continued investment from Dallas County were cited as steps towards re-certification of the Dallas County jail system, which passed inspection once again in 2011.[8] Also in 2010, Sheriff Valdez was elected to the Democratic National Committee[9] and was appointed by President Barack Obama to a committee regarding immigration reform.[10]
In November 2012, Valdez won a third term, defeating Republican challenger Kirk Launius.[citation needed] In 2015, Valdez "changed policies on holding immigrants in the Dallas County jail for federal officials once the person is past his or her release date. People who committed minor offenses aren’t held for up to an additional 48 hours for agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE." This brought a warning from Governor Greg Abbott to "back down from a policy change on federal immigration detention requests."[11]
In November 2016, Valdez won a fourth term with 58 percent of the vote, again defeating Republican Kirk Launius.[12]
2018 Texas gubernatorial election
In December 2017, Valdez announced her candidacy for Governor of Texas in the 2018 gubernatorial election against incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott.[13] In the March 6, 2018 Primary she got more votes than any other Democrat, leading her closest competitor, Andrew White, son of former governor Mark White, by 16 percent. However, she only received 43% of the vote, forcing a run-off against White. The run-off occurred on May 22, 2018, resulting in Valdez's victory and making her the first Latina and first openly gay person nominated for governor by a major party in the state.[14] Abbott won the election in a landslide.[15]
References
- ^
"Lupe Valdez Makes History In Texas By Winning Democratic Nod For Governor". Huffington Post. May 23, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ^ "From farm to mansion? Lupe Valdez relishes underdog role in race for Texas governor". February 16, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Pollock, Cassandra (December 6, 2017). "Who is Lupe Valdez, the Dallas County sheriff running for governor?". Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Krause, Kevin (August 2010). "After seven years, Dallas County jails pass state inspection". Dallas News. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Re-Elect Sheriff Lupe Valdez". Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2007.announcement speech
- ^ "ENR". enr2.clarityelections.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Dallas - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ Krause, Kevin (March 30, 2012). "Dallas County jails pass third straight state inspection". Dallas News. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 19, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) H-100 Congratulations - ^ "Abbott targets sanctuary cities, Dallas sheriff's new policy," by Grandi Grissonand and Dianne Solis, Dallas Morning News, Oct. 2016
- ^ FOX (November 9, 2016). "Collin, Tarrant elect new sheriffs, Valdez re-elected in Dallas". Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Jeffers Jr., Gromer (November 22, 2017). "Could Dallas County's Lupe Valdez really be Texas Dems' candidate for governor?". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah (May 22, 2018). "Lupe Valdez Makes History In Texas By Winning Democratic Nod For Governor". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ^ Sanchez, Carlos (November 6, 2018). "Greg Abbott Wins a Second Term as Governor". Texas Monthly. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
External links
- Election homepage
- Lupe Valdez Interview on YouTube