Candace Valenzuela, the Democratic candidate for Texas’ 24th Congressional District, called on her Republican opponent Beth Van Duyne to condemn Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s comments suggesting older Americans should sacrifice their own personal health for the health of the stock market.

“Our nation is facing an unprecedented health crisis and it is up to our state leaders to convey the gravity of the moment and the importance of keeping our loved ones safe,” Valenzuela said.

“Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s remarks are dangerous. I’m urging Republicans like Beth Van Duyne to disavow his comments because they go against public health guidelines put forward by our leading health experts. We are all in this together and it is on all of us to do our part to stop the spread.”

In response to COVID-19, Team Candace Valenzuela for Congress has suspended all voter contact activities that require face-to-face interaction, such as door-knocking and community in-person meet and greets. The campaign has transitioned to all virtual events, including virtual town halls and voter outreach meetings.

Candace Valenzuela was an elected member of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school board and is now a Democratic candidate in Texas’ 24th Congressional District. Valenzuela’s inspiring personal story of her unlikely journey from a homeless child to the first in her family to graduate from college was the subject of a viral digital advertisement. The video has been viewed more than 700,000 times online and can be found here.

The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball both rate the open seat in TX-24 as a “toss-up” race in 2020. Anchored in suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, which has seen significant demographic change, Beto O’Rourke carried the seat in his 2018 Senate run.

To learn more about Candace, visit the website, candacefor24.com.