After coming out on top among 3 Dems in special election, Austin real estate agent could be elected Texas’ 2nd openly LGBT rep next week
Celia Israel
AUSTIN — Celia Israel may have come out on top as the Democrat in the special election to replace former state Rep. Mark Strama, but she’s not taking her lead from November for granted while campaigning this week for the Jan. 28 runoff.
“We take nothing for granted,” she said about her campaign. “We’re running like we’re behind.”
Strama, a Democrat who held the House District 50 seat in Austin since 2005, resigned from office last summer. The special election is to fill the remainder of his term.
Israel, who’s openly gay, won 32 percent of the vote in November, compared to businesswoman Jade Chang Sheppard’s 16 percent and former Travis County Assistant District Attorney Rico Reyes’ 13 percent among Democrats. Mike VanDeWalle, the only Republican who filed for the seat, brought in 39 percent of the vote.
Even coming out on top, being endorsed by her fellow Democrats and labeled the leader in the race, she said it’s been hard campaigning during the holidays and she’s not taking her lead in election for granted in the runoff.
“Being the lead Democrat, coming out strong is important,” she said.
A real estate agent and longtime resident in the district, Israel launched her political career when she worked as an aide to former Gov. Ann Richards. She’s focused on helping expand education, healthcare and equality in her platform.
No matter the winner next week, both Irael and VanDeWalle will face each other again in November for a run at a full term. They are running unopposed in their primaries.
Gay Republican Michael Cargill once planned to run for the seat but later decided not to run and endorsed VanDeWalle.
VanDeWalle did not respond to requests for an interview.
Israel has been endorsed by statewide advocacy group Equality Texas and Washington-D.C.-based Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. If elected, she’d be the second openly LGBT state representative in the Legislature, joining pansexual state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso.
Chuck Smith, executive director of Equality Texas, said the challenge of a special election is always getting people to the polls. But early voting has been hindered in this runoff since Monday was a holiday and there’s no early voting this weekend. He said he’s confident Israel could win next week.
“It’s like any election, it comes down to get out the vote,” Smith said, adding that his organization has sent out information about voting, as have other organizations backing her. “It’s a special election, unless you know about it, you have to put it on people’s radar to get them out to vote, so that’s a challenge.”
Smith also said a win for Israel in the runoff would help her with a victory in November because she’d be the incumbent.
“Being an incumbent certainly helps in giving them the advantage of name recognition,” he said.
While Israel said November feels “so far away in political terms,” she doesn’t plan to stop campaigning after the runoff.
“We intend on winning in November,” Israel said. “We’re making sure the voters know that we want to be a voice for progress. And I think there is a mainstream voice in Texas that is not being heard.”
Even with most of Strama’s unexpired term more than halfway through, there’s still work to be done in the Legislature’s interim. Interim duties and studies will be announced next week, and Israel said if elected, she’d jump right in to start working for the district.
“A lot of work gets done during the interim,” Israel said. “I intend on finding a niche and serving in the interim to the extent that I can, as well as just taking care of our constituent needs. We haven’t had a representative since last summer.”
The runoff is Tuesday, Jan. 28.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 24, 2014.