DALLAS — Former sheriff Lupe Valdez will add her name to the ballot for the Democratic primary race for her former job at a press conference at the Dallas County Democratic Party headquarters at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Valdez, the first openly lesbian sheriff in Dallas County, left the sheriff’s department in 2017 to run for governor of Texas. She was the Democratic party’s nominee to face incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in the general election in 2018, but lost to Abbott.
“I have had numerous calls from former colleagues and friends asking me if I would consider running again for Sheriff,” Valdez said in a statement when she announced her candidacy. “I am honored with their encouragement and look forward to a lively campaign. There is still so much work to do in Dallas County, and as I have told my supporters and campaign team, I am not done yet.”
To win the Democratic party nomination for another term, Valdez will face current sheriff Marian Brown, who announced that she’s running for re-election in May. Brown, was appointed interim sheriff by the Dallas County Commissioners Court after Valdez left office and was first elected as Dallas County sheriff in 2018. Brown was re-elected in 2020.
The primary election is set for March 5, 2024, any primary runoffs will be May 28 if needed, and the general election is Nov. 7.
