Candace Valenzuela (born 1984) is an American politician from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. She is a regional administrator for the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

. Valenzuela was the Democratic nominee for in the 2020 elections.

Early life and education

Valenzuela was born in 1984 to a Mexican-American mother and an African-American father in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. Her parents served in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

. As they weren't married, her mother, Mary Valenzuela, was not allowed to include her father on the

birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...

, and she gave her daughter her surname. Candace's parents married at

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

, but divorced two years later. After her mother left the military, the family lost their home. They stayed with her grandparents, with a Mormon family, and at a homeless shelter. At times when they had no place to stay, she slept behind a convenience store. Valenzuela earned a full scholarship to

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

, where she earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in government.

Career

In 2017, Valenzuela was elected to the

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

for

Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) is a school district based in Carrollton, Texas, United States. The district covers most of the cities of Carrollton and Farmers Branch and parts of Addison, Coppell, Dallas, and ...

, defeating an 18 year incumbent.https://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article229170294.html She resigned in December 2019. In April 2019, Valenzuela announced that she would run as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the 2020 elections for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in , held by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Kenny Marchant Kenny Ewell Marchant (born February 23, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented several areas around Dallas and Fort Worth. On August 5, 201 ...

. Marchant announced he would not seek reelection in August 2019. In the

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

, Valenzuela and Kim Olson advanced to a runoff election. Valenzuela defeated Olson in the runoff, and faced

Beth Van Duyne Elizabeth Ann Van Duyne ( ; born November 16, 1970) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 24th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she was mayor of Irving from 2011 to 2017. She was an ...

in the November general election. Van Duyne defeated Valenzuela in the general election. In March 2022, President Joe Biden appointed Valenzuela as the regional administrator for the

(HUD), overseeing Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas; this is the same position held by Van Duyne during the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

Personal life

Valenzuela and her husband, Andy, have two children. They live in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valenzuela, Candace Living people 1984 births Politicians from El Paso, Texas Claremont McKenna College alumni School board members in Texas Biden administration personnel United States Department of Housing and Urban Development officials Women in Texas politics Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections