Two Democrats become first Texas Latinas to serve in Congress

Democrats Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia have made history by becoming the first two Texas Latinas to be elected to serve in Congress.

Garcia, a state senator, won her U.S. House race in Texas’s 29th Congressional District on Tuesday and Escobar, a former county judge, was victorious in the state’s 16th District.

Five Latinos currently serve in Texas’s congressional delegation. In 2012, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz made history by becoming the first Latino from Texas to serve in the Senate. But the Lone Star State had never elected a woman of Latina heritage to serve in Congress. 

{mosads}Garcia, who had the backing of retiring Democratic Rep. Gene Green and EMILY’s List, won her seat with 75 percent of the vote.

She faced off against Republican Phillip Aronoff, who won 24 percent of the vote, and Libertarian Cullen Burns, who won 1 percent. 

Escobar, who was running to replace Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke after he vacated the seat to unsuccessfully challenge Cruz, won her seat with 68 percent of the vote.

Escobar, who also had the backing of EMILY’s List and O’Rourke, faced off against Republican Rick Seeberger, who won 27 percent of the vote, and independent Ben Mendoza, who won 5 percent.