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

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. 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 u ...

. Valenzuela was the Democratic nominee for in the

2020 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

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 (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

. Her parents served in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. 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 Childbirth, 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 ...

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

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

, 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 A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

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 area, ...

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, an ...

, 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

in the

for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in , held by Republican

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, 20 ...

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

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

, Valenzuela and

Kim Olson Kimberly D. Olson (born October 24, 1957) is an American non-profit executive, politician, and retired military officer from the state of Texas. She served in the United States Air Force for 25 years, reaching the rank of colonel. She was the D ...

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

Beth Van Duyne Elizabeth "Beth" Ann Van Duyne ( ; born November 16, 1970) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 24th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she was mayor of Irving from 2011 to ...

in the November general election. Van Duyne defeated Valenzuela in the general election. In March 2022, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

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 Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

Personal life

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

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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