Two of the top three candidates headlining the Democratic Party’s Texas ticket this November were in Amarillo on Monday, promoting unity to voters on their last swing through the Panhandle.
Starting off the festivities, Mike Collier, the Democratic nominee for Texas Lieutenant Governor, spoke to attendees, saying while he and Lupe Valdez, the Democratic nominee for Governor, are different, they share the same values they believe all Texans share.
“Do they make them any more opposite than the two of us,” Collier asked the crowd. “Except, we’re not opposite. We’re exactly alike when it comes to values. Texas values are what we stand for and what we are fighting for. That’s the magic of being Democrats. The ticket looks like Texas.”
Valdez also hammered home this issue during her speech at El Alamo Park, saying she believes while other states view Texas as “intolerant,” Texans have unifying values.
“People in other states think Texas is so intolerant, then I go across the state and find the Texas heart,” Valdez said.
In an interview with the Pioneer, Collier also said he hopes to earn the support of voters across party lines, this November. Collier said, as a former Democrat, he understands issues facing Texans across party lines, and believes he will have an independent approach to the concerns.
“I used to be a Republican. When I concluded that they wouldn’t do the right thing on so many issues, I became a Democrat,” Collier said.
Valdez and Collier arrived late at the event, as Valdez’s plane was delayed, Potter County Democratic chairman Steve Land said. Valdez joked about the plane delay, and nearly 45-minute wait for supporters, during the opening moments of her speech.
“I can’t do anything about delayed flights,” Valdez said. “Even when you’re governor.”
Prior to their arrival, attendees heard from Greg Sagan, Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Claudia Griego, Democratic candidate for justice of the peace in Potter County, and Mike Purcell, Democratic candidate for State Representative, District 86. Potter County Commissioner Mercy Murguia, an unopposed Democrat, also spoke.
Valdez is challenging incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott and Libertarian Mark Tippetts in November. Collier is running against Republican incumbent Dan Patrick and Libertarian Kerry Douglas McKennon.
