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Progress Texas endorses education advocate Ruben Cortez for State Senate District 27 and encourages voters across the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas to vote for him in the March 3, 2020 Democratic primary.  

As a Brownsville native and current South Texas representative on the State Board of Education, Cortez has an unrivaled track record on public education. He believes the Texas Senate must do better to lower class sizes for students and increase pay to keep good teachers. He fought to get Mexican American studies in Texas classrooms and won, which is no small task in our state.

Cortez is a fighter for public education but his work doesn’t stop there; he is also a fighter for access to affordable health care, reproductive rights and abortion access, environmental protection, and sensible gun reform. 

While there are some candidates who run as Democrats, there are candidates like Ruben Cortez who truly embrace the progressive values we should expect from our leaders in the 2020 election. 

In an effort to get a better understanding of all candidates in the race, Progress Texas sent our questionnaire to the three Democratic candidates, and Cortez received a 10/10. This landed him a spot on our Certified Progressive list, while current incumbent Senator Eddie Lucio Jr. did not respond to repeated requests. 

But after 30 years in office, we didn’t need a questionnaire to know that Lucio is the least reliable Democratic vote in the Senate and sides with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott (a staunch supporter of Donald Trump) on issue after issue. According to Lucio’s recent campaign reports, he has taken more than $100,000 in donations from conservative organizations that support extreme Republican policies in the legislature. Lucio has a well-known record of discriminating against LGBTQIA+ Texans, opposing women’s right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, and scheming to take money away from public schools. 

And the list goes on:

• He was the only Democrat to support Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s transphobic “bathroom bill.” 

• He was the only Democrat to vote for increased abortion restrictions, the same restrictions that then-Senator Wendy Davis fillibustered for 11 hours. 

• He was the only Democrat to vote for school vouchers, which take money away from public schools.

The 2020 Democratic primary is the first serious primary challenge Lucio has faced in years, and it’s an opportunity for progressive residents in the Valley to demonstrate their growing political power. In order for the Rio Grande Valley to thrive, we must vote for strong, progressive candidates who represent our best interests. 

As a dedicated fighter for public education, Ruben Cortez is the best candidate to win your vote in the 2020 Democratic primary for State Senate District 27.