Lupe Valdez's latest endorsement: Elizabeth Warren

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts Photo: Carolyn Cole, FILE Photo: Carolyn Cole, FILE Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Lupe Valdez's latest endorsement: Elizabeth Warren 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Longshot Democratic gubernatorial challenger Lupe Valdez, pushing hard to close her double-digit gap in polls behind incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, has a new national endorsement: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Warren, a liberal icon, is a Democrat that conservatives like Abbott love to hate.

In a fundraising letter for Valdez, Warren called the former Dallas County sheriff "a new leader emerging who can put Texas back on track."

"The daughter of migrant farmworkers, Lupe is ready to fight for all Texans, not just the wealthy few," Warren stated in her message, underscoring the Average Texan theme that Valdez has emphasized in recent weeks.

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"But winning this race won't be easy, especially because Lupe's going up against the incumbent Republican governor's massive war chest, filled with cash from the special interests who spend big to get their way in Austin."

Noting that Valdez won four terms as sheriff in Dallas, where Republicans held most local offices for years, Warren insisted that "with our support, Lupe can make history again and be the first Latina and LGBTQ governor of Texas."

What does a liberal Massachusetts Democrat have to do with Red State Texas? Though she grew up in Oklahoma, Warren spent several years in Texas teaching law at the University of Texas in Austin. She was reported to have been on a short list to be Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016 and has been repeatedly mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2020.