New York City— Today, Voice for Refuge Action Fund released its endorsements for candidates in Texas for the upcoming general elections. We are proud to endorse incumbents Representative Veronica Escobar, Representative Lloyd Doggett, and Senator Roland Gutierrez. We are also pleased to announce endorsement for Beto O’Rourke for Governor, Rochelle Garza for Attorney General, Vincente Gonzalez for U.S. House of Representatives Texas District 34, Gwenn Burud for Texas State Senate District 9, Morgan LaMantia for Texas State Senate District 27, and César Blanco for Texas State Senate District 29.
“It is not enough to simply have representation at the Federal level, we must have representation across the ballot. We are excited to support these candidates as they ensure that more individuals with refugee stories will be represented and heard; upholding our nation’s ideals of welcome, and human rights for all,” said Mary Elizabeth Margolis, Voice for Refuge Acting Managing Director.
“Representative Escobar and Senator Gutierrez have been champions of pro-immigrant legislation throughout their political tenure, and we are deeply grateful for their work and look forward to seeing them further their work alongside Representative Doggett as they continue to be a voice for those who are not as frequently heard.”
“In Texas it is more important than ever to elect candidates that will replace the anti-refugee extremists who see building a border wall or busing migrants to other states as a political stunt worth performing. Beto O’rourke, Rochelle Garza, Vincente Gonzalez, Gwenn Burud, Morgan LaMantia, and César Blanco have all risen to this occasion and we are proud to endorse them to challenge the harmful and xenophobic rhetoric of their opponents.”
This is Voice for Refuge’s second round of endorsements in the 2022 elections, and the third time the 501c(4) organization has endorsed candidates for election. Voice for Refuge Action Fund specifically aims to endorse candidates based upon their stance on refugee issues. See all of our endorsements at www.voiceforrefuge.org/endorsements
Candidates were endorsed based on their answers to questions about their support for refugee resettlement, their work on welcoming refugees and immigrants in their community, and their understanding of policies specific to their potential role as a Federal, State, or Local representative. An individual’s public statements and any applicable past actions were also assessed.
The election is November 8th this year. Early voting/mail in voting in Texas starts October 22nd and the last day to request an absentee ballot is October 28th.
Voice for Refuge is the first 501(c)4 organization created to advance pro-refugee policies at the national, state, and local level and to hold elected leaders accountable to upholding America’s legacy of welcome. Voice for Refuge is educating the public about the benefits of refugee resettlement, advocating for pro-refugee policies in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, and increasing civic engagement among refugees through non-partisan voter education. Voice for Refuge will also promote the representation of refugees in government by supporting former refugees and pro-refugee candidates running for office.
