Valenzuela was vying for the nomination in a race against primary Democratic rival Kim Olson for the open 24th Texas Congressional District. As of Wednesday afternoon, Valenzuela held 60.4% of the vote for Olson’s 39.6%, according to unofficial results from the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
Olson tweeted Tuesday night, thanking his followers and saying, “The truth is, sometimes a pilot knows when it’s time to land the plane.”
The Texas Democratic Party congratulated Valenzuela on becoming the Democratic candidate for the district on Tuesday night. In a statement on her Twitter account celebrating her victory, Valenzuela wrote: “I am proud to announce that tonight our grassroots coalition has won and I am the Democratic candidate for District 24 of Texas.”
The district is currently in Republican hands and represented by Republican Rep. Kenny Marchant, but announced last year that he would not be running for reelection. Democrats now hope to flip the blue seat.
Valenzuela is supported by the EMILY List, End Citizens United, and the political arms of the Hispanic Caucus of Congress, the Black Caucus of Congress, and the Asian American Caucus of the American Pacific Congress.
She went on to say, “We cannot afford another representative at # TX24 to prioritize corporations and donors.”
VoteVets supported Olson, a retired Air Force colonel who lost a nomination for state agriculture commissioner in 2018, but finished first in the Congressional primaries earlier this year.
Valenzuela will now face Republican Beth Van Duyne in November, who is one of the few Republican women so far to have won a primary in a seat that is currently in favor of the Republican Party.
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