Prominent Texas Latina endorses Warren

The chief executive of Texas’s most populous county Friday endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her endorsement in the wake of a debate performance in Las Vegas on Wednesday that gave a much-needed boost to Warren’s campaign, just as Nevada is set to hold its caucuses Saturday.

With Hidalgo’s endorsement, Warren could get a boost in Texas, a Super Tuesday state voting on March 3 where the Latino vote will play a key role in assigning the state’s 261 delegates

“Whether it’s combating climate change or increasing opportunities for minorities in small business, Elizabeth has a plan for that. But my support for her is not because of her plans, it’s because of who she is. The Elizabeth Warren you speak with one-on-one is the same Elizabeth you see on the stump. She’s a genuine person who will tell you exactly what she believes and where she stands,” said Hidalgo in a statement.

Warren has struggled to compete in the progressive lane with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has emerged from the Iowa and New Hampshire contests as a front-runner in the nomination race. 

Hidalgo, a 29-year-old progressive star, will join fellow Texan Julián Castro — a former San Antonio mayor, Housing and Urban Development secretary and presidential candidate — in Warren’s camp.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have the support of Judge Hidalgo, who has been a forceful and persistent champion for Harris County by working to ensure that the government is transparent, accessible, and accountable to every single resident,” Warren said in a statement. “We’re in this fight together to create big, structural change — and that means building a movement that makes our government work for everyone, in Harris County, across Texas, and throughout our country.”

A Colombian immigrant, Hidalgo is the first Latina to hold the top position in Harris County, and her focus on criminal justice reform has gained her support among progressives.

With more than 4 million people, Harris County is the largest in Texas, and also one of its most diverse. Harris is in southeastern Texas and includes the city of Houston within its borders.