​Before Lupe Valdez made history as the Democratic nominee in the 2018 Texas Gubernatorial Election, her life was characterized by public service and a knowledge of the hardships faced by Texas minorities. As a young girl and the daughter of migrant workers living in the poorest zip code in San Antonio, Valdez was given the opportunity to attend a better school in the wealthier part of the city. She bussed herself every morning and it was then she first recognized the gross inequity among the communities in San Antonio. She remembers rainy days as the most obvious indicator that she didn’t enjoy the same privilege as her classmates. When it rained, Valdez would get to school and have to clean her shoes, unlike her mostly Caucasian classmates. She realized that she was the only student with muddy shoes because her neighborhood did not have paved sidewalks. After high school, she attended college in Oklahoma and commissioned in the United States Army after getting her bachelor’s degree.

Jennifer Skidonenko is running for District 106 for the Texas House of Representatives, located near Northeast Denton county in North Texas. Though this is her first campaign for public office, this isn’t Jennifer’s first time working within the political sphere. In 2018, following the shooting at Parkland High School, Jennifer founded the local chapter of Moms Demand Action in Denton County, an organization that advocates for gun violence prevention—especially in schools. Prior to this, Jennifer volunteered on local political campaigns like Beto O’Rourke’s U.S. Senate race. Now, Jennifer is taking the reigns into her own hands—leading the way in her own campaign for office.