The following are the complete and unedited responses submitted by the candidate listed below to the Amarillo Pioneer’s Candidate Questionnaire.
Heli Rodriguez Prilliman — Photo by Hannah Middleton/Heli For Texas
Name: Heli Rodriguez Prilliman
Office Sought: United States Senator
Party Affiliation: Democratic
Age: 36
Educational Background: Texas A&M University, Class of 2009
Occupation: Entrepreneuer
Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, religious, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
N/A
Have you previously held or do you currently hold any elected office? If so, what office(s)?
No
If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
www.helifortexas.com; linkedin.com/in/heliprilliman; Instagram: @heyitsheli; Tiktok: @helifortexas
Why did you decide to run for this office in 2024?
I decided to run for the U.S. Senate because we need 60 Democratic votes to get anything done in Washington. And because the Democratic party in Texas hasn't won a statewide race in over three decades, we can't keep going along with whatever establishment Democrat who gets propped up as the "safe" or "viable" candidate and expect different results (because those wishy-washy uninspiring candidates keep losing every time!). To finally flip Texas, we need a different kind of candidate – I kept hoping to see someone that represented more progressive values, someone more uplifting and inspiring, someone non-white and woman, like me. Eventually, I got angry and tired of waiting around while our hard won rights continued to be chipped away and decided to be the change I wanted to see. I'm a Mexican American farm girl raised in small-town Texas, that made it to the heights of Silicon Valley, and back again to serve my home state that I love. I have a very particular set of skills and unique background story that will resonate with ordinary Texans who are desperate for a fresh perspective and an inspiring female Democratic leader. Everyone is exhausted with the fear-mongering and immature social media bickering of most politicians these days. Plus, y'all know Ted Cruz is terrified of and extremely triggered by intelligent women – he will struggle and ultimately lose if I receive the honor of your votes in the March 5th Democratic Primary. I can't wait! #ByeByeTeddy
If elected, what will be your top three priorities in office?
1.) Economy: Support working parents with affordable childcare & boost small businesses’ hiring with universal health insurance not attached to an employer; 2.) Health Care: Medicare for All that includes mental health care and maternal health care; 3.) Democracy: Protect our democracy by passing voting rights, beefing up public education, and comprehensive campaign finance reform to remove billionaire money in politics.
What is an issue you believe has gone overlooked in your race and how will you address it if elected?
There is a severe lack of affordable child care options for working parents and a lack of affordable mental health care. We can address this by dramatically increasing funding for public school teachers, counselors, therapists, and other child development professionals, and create a 24/7 drop-in flexible and affordable child care system within the public school system. Every public school student should have access to options of licensed therapists and the ability to attend weekly therapy appointments consistently while at school. Another huge issue that is consistently overlooked is the prevalence of unaccountable domestic violence and its connection to gun violence in our country. Trauma informed education and extensive training for our educators and police forces to be able to spot and help victims, as well as hold accountable and rehabilitate previous abusers (especially the 40% of our police force that currently have domestic violence on their own records).
Do you have any notable endorsements you would like to highlight for voters?
N/A
Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
My biggest qualifications are that I’m 1.) a real life working mom who was forced out of the workforce because of our country's lack of affordable childcare and knows how to better support working families; 2.) a Mexican American female raised in rural Texas that experienced, first hand, what happens when communities lack health care, reproductive education, and history education that is inclusive of our diverse population (hint: addiction, child abuse, teen pregnancies, domestic violence, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc); I’ve 3.) helped thousands of local business owners, in Texas and across the country, grow their budding companies, 4.) helped build multiple successful tech startups over the past decade and understand the importance of humane tech policy so that technology and social media innovation encourage the best of us instead of the worst; 5.) fueled entrepreneurial growth that created new jobs and boosted our economy; and 6.) I’m a wildly different and refreshing statewide Texas candidate with a lot of hopeful energy and enthusiasm – and I’m a woman dammit! Lol, but seriously Democrats haven’t won a statewide race in 30 years – we need someone different, and I’m your best bet to finally oust Ted Cruz.