Friend --

After a thorough count of the votes, I concede this race.

I want to thank all the volunteers and supporters who knocked on doors, hosted virtual campaign events, and made hundreds of thousands of phone calls in support of our grassroots movement. I have new friends and role models -- some of whom are not yet old enough to drive. I also want to congratulate Beth Van Duyne on her victory.

I stepped up to run for Congress because the opportunities that my great grandfather, my grandparents, and my parents fought for, that helped me go from being homeless as a kid, sleeping in a kiddie pool outside a gas station, to become the first in my family to go to college have been dwindling for a generation. 

Some told me that I couldn’t do it because I lacked gravitas and, as a mother and a woman of color, I didn’t fit the image of an elected official. And even though we didn’t win this race, we’ve forced the gatekeepers of the political process to reimagine who belongs at the table.

There is still so much work to be done and I will continue to be a tireless advocate for our schools and all working families across North Texas. 

Thank you so much for your support in this race, I am forever grateful. 

Candace Valenzuela

Please click here to watch my full statement.