State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez announced she will run for a fifth term in office. She represents District 104, which includes parts of Oak Cliff, Cockrell Hill and Grand Prairie.
Gonzalez is a founding member of the Texas Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus and is vice chair of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators’ Human and Civil Rights Task Force.
Before running for a seat in the Texas Legislature, she served as Nevada voter protection director for the Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign and was a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep Karen Bass.
In an emailed statement, Gonzalez wrote:
“I’m running for re-election to the Texas House of Representatives because the voters of District 104, my neighbors, want a bold, progressive leader representing their interests, fighting for them in the legislature. I’ve proven since I was first sworn in that when out-of-touch bullies in Austin try to push Oak Cliff and Grand Prairie around, I never back down.
“Throughout the legislative session, Texas House Republicans made their priorities crystal clear to people across Texas. In just 140 days, they gave handouts to Texas’ most wealthy families via private school vouchers, proposed constitutional bans on tax increases for our state’s richest individuals, and gave Elon Musk his own beach city, all while doing nothing to stop the rise of food prices, healthcare costs, or rent for working families. Billionaires have bought the Republican Party, but they can’t buy me — I’m running for re-election because I will always fight for you, regardless of political consequences.
“In District 104, where thousands of school-aged kids depend on meals and financial assistance when school is out for the summer, children in my district will soon go hungry daily solely because of Greg Abbott’s recent veto of $60 million budgeted for summer lunch programs. Working families in our community need more help from Texas to find and buy fresh, healthy foods — that’s why I was proud that H.B. 1203, my bill to create the Office of Food System Security and Resiliency within the Texas Department of Agriculture, passed out of the Texas House in April, but ultimately died in the Senate. I’m running for re-election to pass this important legislation so that urban and rural communities have the tools and support to end systemic food insecurity in Texas.
“Texas’ LGBTQIA+ community was also viciously maligned by Republicans this past session after the public was served an expensive campaign of lies during last year’s election cycle. 200 plus bills were filed with the intent of isolating children from supportive atmospheres in school and at home, limiting academic freedom, and erasing the identity of trans children and adults. Through diligence, grassroots activism, and teamwork, the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus killed 94 percent of these dangerous legislative proposals. Big fights were lost and bad bills were passed, but we haven’t lost hope for a more inclusive future because the LGBTQIA+ Texans haven’t lost hope, either. I’m proud to serve the membership and our community as Chair of the Caucus.
“As long as the Texas legislature is a body that rubber stamps Trump’s billionaire-backer agenda, I’m going to continue to fight back in defense of House District 104. I’m running for re-election so my constituents have a trusted fighter working for them in the Texas Capitol. That’s why I’m asking for your support and your vote.”
— David Taffet