FORT WORTH — Holding back tears at times, Lupe Valdez urged thousands of the state's most fervent Democrats to get behind her in her uphill battle to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott and become the first Latina, openly gay governor of Texas.

Speaking at the party's biennial convention right before the headliner — Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who is challenging Ted Cruz for his Senate seat — the former Dallas County sheriff brought the crowd to its feet with the story of her family's immigrant success.

"Lupe! Lupe! Lupe!" the crowd chanted.

"She killed it," Austin Rep. Celia Israel said after the speech, adding that Valdez was upbeat and energetic, showing an improvement in delivery that she's developed on the campaign trail.

1 / 5Texas gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez speaks at the Texas Democratic Convention Friday, June 22, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)(Richard W. Rodriguez / AP) 2 / 5Democratic candidate for governor Lupe Valdez speaks during the Texas Democratic Convention on Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer) 3 / 5Democratic candidate for governor Lupe Valdez and U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke walk the stage together during the Texas Democratic Convention on Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer) 4 / 5U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke, gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez and other candidates wave on stage during the Texas Democratic Convention on Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer) 5 / 5Gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez, center, poses for photos with delegates during the Texas Democratic Convention on Friday, June 22, 2018 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Brushing off criticisms that she has no shot against the highly popular Republican governor, Valdez pushed back, saying she has been an underdog her whole life.

"Since I got into this race, people keep saying this is impossible — this is an uphill battle. Please, tell me, what other kind of battle is there?" she said. "When has this ever been easy? I don't know easy. I'm getting good at uphill battles and I'm not done yet."

Valdez pitched herself as the candidate of the everyday Texan who will fight for their issues because she has lived through them. She told the audience how her family was denied service at a Dallas restaurant because they were Hispanic. But she also made a case for being an upstart who has surmounted tremendous obstacles.

"In 2004, as the underdog — Hispanic, female, lesbian, Democrat — in a red county, I was elected the sheriff of that same town that turned us away," she said of her long shot victory in Dallas County more than a decade ago.

Valdez said that during her long career in public service in the military and law enforcement, it was her honor to "serve and protect, not hate and discriminate."

"It's an honor to right the wrongs and work toward a more just and equal society," she said. "I am part of this party because Democrats believe in service to others no matter who they are. El que no sirve, no sirve para nada. 'He who does not serve, has no worth.'"

She said the state's Republican-controlled government has failed to provide Texas with adequate public education and health care, while keeping property taxes rising as Texans struggle to make ends meet.

"More time and effort is spent producing hateful bills such as the 'show me your papers' bill and bathroom bills," she said. "We need leaders who will stand against hate and intolerance."

Valdez, like many of the convention's speakers, also went after the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy, which led to the separation of more than 2,300 immigrant from their children after crossing the border. Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to keep the families together, but photos and scenes from the border and detention facilities where children are being held have sparked national outrage.

"Who among us didn't tear up as they heard the audio of the children torn from their parents crying and pleading to be able to hear, see, or touch their parents?" Valdez said.

And she faulted state leaders for being silent while it happened.

"This country has not seen the real Texas brand," she told the crowd. "The real Texas brand is not full of hate and intolerance. The real Texas brand is us. This is who Texas is: all cultures, all nationalities, all identities, all ethnic groups, all belief systems."

Valdez urged Democratic voters to unite as they head into heated races against firmly entrenched Republicans in statewide offices. She was able to stave off a stronger-than-expected challenge from Houston businessman Andrew White in the Democratic primary, but took knocks for struggling with policy issues and for working with federal immigration authorities as the sheriff.

"As Democrats, I know we don't always agree on everything, but that's pretty normal," she said. "But one thing is clear — there is much more that unites us than divides us. The more we come to the table, the more we come up with good solutions. You've heard me say this over and over again — if you're not at the table, you're on the menu."

She called November's election "a battle for the future of Texas" and said Democrats could triumph if they worked together.

"We will fight for the Texas that we all believe in," she said. "Where no matter your background, no matter where you come from, no matter who you love, or how much money your family has — whether you're from the rural or metro areas — no matter what, you've got a fighting chance."

"That is our Texas," she said. "That is the Texas I believe in. And if we work together, if we fight together, we can make that Texas a reality for all of us."