Escobar, Veronica Rep
<div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">~ cruz sedition?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">=</font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 121</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: small;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/01/15/texas-nra-bankruptcy-fraud/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: 0px; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The NRA says it's moving to Texas. Bankruptcy experts say it may be more of a legal move than a physical one.</a>" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.</font></div><div class="teadsNative" style="font-size: small;"><div id="story_page_incontent_p2_target" style=""><div class="content" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 1100px; width: 589.446px;"><div class="c-story-body" style=""><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The National Rifle Association filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday and said it would eventually reincorporate in Texas — a move experts say is a legal maneuver to escape an aggressive lawsuit being pursued by the New York attorney general.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Officials in Texas — which is known as both a gun-friendly and debtor-friendly state — welcomed the NRA's announcement Friday, embracing the NRA's stance that it is fleeing a “toxic political environment" in New York.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In August, New York's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the organization alleging decades of fraudulent use of the NRA's funds by its executives. New York Attorney General Letitia James accused NRA leaders of knowingly signing off on fraudulent statements.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Texas Gov. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Greg Abbott</a>, in a<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1350191813571784704" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"> tweet</a>, celebrated the announcement: “Welcome to Texas — a state that safeguards the 2nd Amendment." Other conservative Texas lawmakers also welcomed the news.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But bankruptcy experts said the NRA's filing is less of a physical relocation and more of a legal play to avoid a potentially disastrous case in New York.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The move to Texas, legal experts said, will likely be on paper.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They probably figured they'd have a more friendly judge in Texas," said Josh Wolfshohl, a bankruptcy attorney at Porter Hedges LLP in Houston.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They're trying to do a preemptive strike" against New York, said Sidney Scheinberg, a bankruptcy attorney at Godwin Bowman PC in Dallas. “It's a clever maneuver. Whether it's going to work, I don't know."</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pauses pending litigation, and the New York attorney general's case will now be battled in a Dallas bankruptcy court instead of a civil court in New York.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I suspect the NRA's plan is to consolidate pending litigation in the bankruptcy court," said Kevin Lippman, a bankruptcy attorney at the Texas-based Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC law firm. But, he said, New York could challenge the move and try to bring the case back.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Texas also has one of the most generous homestead exemptions in the country. NRA executives who might receive judgments against them stemming from the New York suit could feasibly move to Texas, “buy a very nice home, and no one could ever take it away from them," Scheinberg said.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The NRA said it would seek to reincorporate in Texas, pending court approval. While it was chartered in New York, the organization's headquarters and much of its operations are in Fairfax, Virginia.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There will be no immediate changes to the NRA's operations or workforce," the NRA said in a statement.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nevertheless, Texas politicians jumped on the move as proof that Texas is attracting new businesses and organizations due to its business-friendly regulatory environment.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Welcome to Texas," state Sen. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/dawn-buckingham/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Dawn Buckingham</a>, R-Lakeway, wrote in a tweet tagging the NRA. “Unlike New York, we protect and uphold our citizens' right to bear arms."</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This is a wonderful place for [the NRA] both financially and for our community," said Andi Turner, legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association.</font></p><p class="t-align-left" style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Texas Democrats, meanwhile, criticized the move. U.S. Rep. <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/directory/veronica-escobar/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Veronica Escobar</a>, D-El Paso, criticized Abbott for “courting" the NRA “instead of taking meaningful actions to reduce gun violence in Texas."</font></p></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mta conf call 2/6/20 one staff balked?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/05/801245739/spanish-state-of-the-union-response-calls-trump-the-greatest-threat"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.npr.org/2020/02/05/801245739/spanish-state-of-the-union-response-calls-trump-the-greatest-threat</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">according to Rep. Veronica Escobar, the greatest danger facing Americans is not foreign, economic or even climate related. It is the president himself and his Republican supporters in Congress.</font></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Honestly, the greatest threat to our security is a president and a Republican-controlled Senate that act only in their own interest," <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?468979-1/democratic-spanish-language-response-state-union" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Escobar said during the Spanish-language response</a> to President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. Escobar, a first-term Democrat who represents Texas' 16th Congressional District in El Paso, took the seat vacated by Beto O'Rourke in January 2019.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Standing in a community health clinic in her hometown of El Paso, Escobar focused her rebuttal particularly on immigration, gun control and Americans' ability to access health care, saying Trump and congressional Republicans are "actively fighting to dismantle lifesaving benefits."</font></p><div id="res802866790" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 27px 15px; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; float: right; width: 330.438px; clear: right; z-index: 1; background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="bucket img" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(224, 224, 224); border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: hidden;"><div class="bucketblock" style="box-sizing: content-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 80px; padding: 9px 11px 9px 17px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; min-height: 62px;"><h3 class="slug" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/politics-fact-check" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">FACT CHECK</font></a></h3><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/800983688/fact-check-president-trump-delivers-his-3rd-state-of-the-union-address" data-metrics="{" category="category" story="Story" to="to" action="action" click="Click" internal="Internal" link="Link" label="label" https="https" www.npr.org="www.npr.org" fact-check-president-trump-delivers-his-3rd-state-of-the-union-address="fact-check-president-trump-delivers-his-3rd-state-of-the-union-address" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">FACT CHECK: Trump Delivers State Of The Union To Tense, Partisan Congres</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">s</font></a></h3></div></div></div><div id="res802866901" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 27px 15px; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; float: right; width: 330.438px; clear: right; z-index: 1; background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="bucket img" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(224, 224, 224); border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: hidden;"><div class="bucketblock" style="box-sizing: content-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 80px; padding: 9px 11px 9px 17px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; min-height: 62px;"><h3 class="slug" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">POLITICS</font></a></h3><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/800984899/fact-check-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmers-democratic-response" data-metrics="{" category="category" story="Story" to="to" action="action" click="Click" internal="Internal" link="Link" label="label" https="https" www.npr.org="www.npr.org" fact-check-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmers-democratic-response="fact-check-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmers-democratic-response" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">FACT CHECK: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Democratic Response</font></a></h3></div></div></div><div id="res802867288" class="bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col " style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 27px 15px; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; float: right; width: 330.438px; clear: right; z-index: 1; background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="bucket img" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 1px 0px 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(224, 224, 224); border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow: hidden;"><div class="bucketblock" style="box-sizing: content-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 80px; padding: 9px 11px 9px 17px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; min-height: 62px;"><h3 class="slug" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/politics/" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">POLITICS</font></a></h3><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.27273; vertical-align: baseline; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/802402211/who-is-veronica-escobar-who-will-deliver-spanish-state-of-the-union-response" data-metrics="{" category="category" story="Story" to="to" action="action" click="Click" internal="Internal" link="Link" label="label" https="https" www.npr.org="www.npr.org" who-is-veronica-escobar-who-will-deliver-spanish-state-of-the-union-response="who-is-veronica-escobar-who-will-deliver-spanish-state-of-the-union-response" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Who Is Veronica Escobar? She Will Deliver Spanish State Of The Union Response</font></a></h3></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Senate, is blocking legislation that would better the lives of veterans, women and families — all of us," Escobar said, adding that hundreds of bipartisan legislation proposals are "collecting dust" on McConnell's desk.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although Escobar specifically invoked the threat of legislation not being passed, she also spoke candidly about Trump's impeachment trial, saying that it was a "tragic moment" and that "no one is above the law."</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We know that the president violated his oath when he asked another country to interfere in our elections, putting the integrity of our elections and our national security at risk and later trying to cover up his wrongdoing," Escobar said.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In her first year serving in the House, Escobar's district endured the deadliest attack on Latinos in U.S. history when a white gunman, targeting Mexicans, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/10/10/769013051/el-paso-walmart-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">killed 22 people</a> at an El Paso Walmart last August. In her speech, Escobar framed gun violence as a public health epidemic and connected the murders directly to Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Just before [the shooter] began his killing spree, he published his opinions on the Internet, and he used the same hateful words used by President Trump to describe immigrants and Latinos," Escobar said.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump invoked that type of rhetoric during his State of the Union earlier in the night when he <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/800983688/fact-check-president-trump-delivers-his-3rd-state-of-the-union-address" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">cited examples</a> of immigrants in the country illegally who had committed violent crimes in sanctuary cities, even though <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/05/02/607652253/studies-say-illegal-immigration-does-not-increase-violent-crime" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">research suggests</a> that illegal immigration does not increase violent crime.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Escobar has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/802402211/who-is-veronica-escobar-who-will-deliver-spanish-state-of-the-union-response" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">become a vocal critic</a> of Trump's immigration policies, such as the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the Remain in Mexico program, which require asylum-seeking immigrants to wait in Mexico, rather than in the United States, for their day in U.S. immigration court. She also sponsored a bill to create an ombudsman for immigration enforcement issues.</font></p><aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" aria-label="advertisement" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="ad-backstage-News_Politics" class="ad-backstage" data-ad-config="{" network="network" site="site" default="default" n6735.npr="n6735.NPR" mobile="mobile" n6735.nprmobile="n6735.NPRMOBILE" zone="zone" news_politics="News_Politics" targets="targets" testserver="testserver" false="false" ispodcastepisode="isPodcastEpisode" storyid="storyId" agg="agg" location="location" backstage="backstage" deferred="deferred" isbetweencontent="isBetweenContent" true="true" isaggsponsorship="isAggSponsorship" borderclass="borderClass" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; text-align: center;" /></aside><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"From the attacks on the young DREAMers, family separation, the deaths of migrant children, to the Remain in Mexico program that sends asylum-seekers into dangerous situations, these are the policies that none of us ever imagined would happen in the United States," she said.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Escobar is one of the first two Latinas to represent Texas in Congress, along with Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who was elected at the same time. Prior to her election, Escobar was county judge and a county commissioner for El Paso County. She now serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.17647em; padding: 0px 15px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.70588; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 680px; position: static; float: none; width: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Spanish-language response to the president's annual speech has been delivered nearly every year since 2011 by both Democrats and Republicans. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also in her first term, gave <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/800984899/fact-check-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmers-democratic-response" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">the Democratic response</a> to the president's State of the Union address.</font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/politics/who-is-veronica-escobar-sotu-spanish-response/index.html"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/politics/who-is-veronica-escobar-sotu-spanish-response/index.html</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">C<cite class="el-editorial-source" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; font-feature-settings: " kern="kern" text-rendering="text-rendering" optimizelegibility="optimizelegibility">NN)</cite><span style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);">After President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, freshman Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas will deliver the Democratic response in Spanish.</span></font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph speakable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Democratic leaders announced last month that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver their party's response to Trump's address in English, and Escobar will follow it up with a Spanish-language version of the speech.</b></font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph speakable" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the announcement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Texas congresswoman's "values and vision beautifully represent our party and our country." And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Escobar "has embodied the best of public service in her first year in Congress."</font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Escobar is the first woman to represent Texas's 16th Congressional District, which encompasses the city of El Paso and surrounding suburbs. She filled the seat formerly held by Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for Senate in 2018.</font></div><ul class="cn cn-list-hierarchical-xs cn--idx-5 cn-zoneAdContainer" data-layout="list-hierarchical-xs" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style: none; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px; background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Escobar first entered politics in 2006, when she was elected county commissioner of El Paso County. She was later elected county judge in 2010. Before that, Escobar <a href="https://escobar.house.gov/about" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">worked</a> as an English teacher at the University of Texas at El Paso.</font></div><div class="zn-bodyread-all" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>She has been a vocal critic of Trump's immigration policies. She is also an advocate for gun violence prevention measures</b>, gaining prominence on the issue in the wake of a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/09/us/el-paso-shooting-friday/index.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">shooting</a> at an El Paso Walmart that left 22 people dead last August.</font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The shooter <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/09/us/el-paso-shooting-friday/index.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">told</a> police he had been targeting Mexicans. Escobar linked the President's rhetoric about immigrants to the violence, saying Trump was not welcome in the city after the attack.</font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Words have consequences," she said on MSNBC at the time. "And the President has made my community and my people the enemy. He has told the country that we are people to be feared, people to be hated."</font></div><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Escobar has been influential in the House Democratic freshman class since she entered Congress, winning a secret ballot election among her peers late last year to replace former Rep. Katie Hill as a freshman representative in Democratic leadership. She sits on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the high-profile House Judiciary Committee.</font></div><ul class="cn cn-list-hierarchical-xs cn--idx-12 cn-zoneAdContainer" data-layout="list-hierarchical-xs" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><div class="zn-bodyparagraph" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Escobar was involved in the House's impeachment inquiry into Trump's conduct related to Ukraine.</font></div><div class="zn-body__paragraph" style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 15px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.66667; margin-right: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Her husband, Michael Pleters, is a federal immigration judge who was <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/02/16/congressional-candidate-escobar-defends-husband-campaign-immigration-attacks/339463002/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">appointed</a> to the job by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. They have two college-aged children.</font></div></ul></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Veronica Escobar</b> (born September 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">U.S. Representative</a> for <span data-sort-value="Texas16 !"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_16th_congressional_district" title="Texas's 16th congressional district" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas's 16th congressional district</a></span> since 2019. A member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party(United_States)" title="Democratic Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Democratic Party</a>, she served as an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,Texas" title="El Paso County, Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">El Paso</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_commission" title="County commission" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">County Commissioner</a> from 2007 to 2011 and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,Texas" title="El Paso County, Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">El Paso</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_judge" title="County judge" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">County Judge</a> from 2011 until 2017.</font></p><div id="toc" class="toc" style="background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 7px; display: table;"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="direction: ltr; position: absolute; opacity: 0; z-index: -1; display: none;" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Early_life_and_education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early life and education</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Early_political_career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early political career</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#U.S.House_of_Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">U.S. House of Representatives</span></font></a><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Committee_assignments" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Committee assignments</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Caucus_memberships" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3.2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Caucus memberships</span></font></a></li></ul></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Electoral_history" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Electoral history</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#Personal_life" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Personal life</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#See_also" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">See also</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#External_links" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></font></a></li></ul></div><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_life_and_education">Early life and education</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Veronica_Escobar&action=edit§ion=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early life and education" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Escobar is a native of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso,Texas" title="El Paso, Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">El Paso, Texas</a>, where she was born in 1969.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup> She grew up near her family's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy_farm" class="mw-redirect" title="Dairy farm" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">dairy farm</a> with her parents and four brothers.<sup id="cite_ref-bassett_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-bassett-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> Escobar attended <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretto_Academy(El_Paso,Texas)" title="Loretto Academy (El Paso, Texas)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Loretto Academy</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burges_High_School" title="Burges High School" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Burges High School</a>, before getting her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor%27s_degree" title="Bachelor's degree" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">bachelor's degree</a> at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Texas_at_El_Paso" title="University of Texas at El Paso" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">University of Texas at El Paso</a> (UTEP) and her <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master%27s_degree" title="Master's degree" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">master's degree</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_University" title="New York University" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">New York University</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_political_career">Early political career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Veronica_Escobar&action=edit§ion=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early political career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Escobar worked as a nonprofit executive and as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Caballero" title="Raymond Caballero" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Raymond Caballero</a>'s communications director when he was mayor of El Paso.<sup id="cite_ref-primary_4-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-primary-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup> When Caballero failed to get reelected, Escobar—along with Susie Byrd, attorney Steve Ortega and businessman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beto_O%27Rourke" title="Beto O'Rourke" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>Beto O'Rourke</b></a>—considered entering public service; they started to discuss grassroots strategies with the goals of improving urban planning, creating a more diversified economy with more highly skilled jobs, as well as ending systemic corruption among city leadership.<sup id="cite_ref-benson_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-benson-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Escobar was elected as a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_commission" title="County commission" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">County Commissioner</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,Texas" title="El Paso County, Texas" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">El Paso County</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in 2006 and as the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_judge" title="County judge" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">County Judge</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_County,Texas" title="El Paso County, Texas" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">El Paso County</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in 2010.</span><sup id="cite_ref-primary_4-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-primary-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">O’Rourke, Byrd and Ortega also all ran for office and won; they came to be collectively referred to as "The Progressives.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span><sup id="cite_ref-benson_5-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-benson-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[5]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> She also taught English and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_literature" title="Chicano literature" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Chicano literature</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> at UTEP and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_Community_College" title="El Paso Community College" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">El Paso Community College</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-primary_4-2" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-primary-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); line-height: 1.3;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="U.S.House_of_Representatives">U.S. House of Representatives</span></font></h2><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-left: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">Main article: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Texas#District_16" title="2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 16</a></font></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Escobar resigned from office in August 2017 to run full-time in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Texas,2018#District_16" class="mw-redirect" title="United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2018" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">2018 election</a> to succeed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beto_O%27Rourke" title="Beto O'Rourke" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Beto O'Rourke</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives" title="United States House of Representatives" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">United States House of Representatives</a> for <span data-sort-value="Texas16 !"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_16th_congressional_district" title="Texas's 16th congressional district" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas's 16th congressional district</a></span>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[6]</a></sup> As the district is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states" title="Red states and blue states" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">solidly Democratic</a>, majority-Hispanic district, whoever won the Democratic primary would be heavily favored in November.<sup id="cite_ref-bassett_2-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-bassett-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> She won the six-way Democratic primary with 61 percent of the vote.<sup id="cite_ref-OC_7-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-OC-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[7]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4">In June 2018, Escobar (along with O'Rourke) led protests in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornillo,Texas" title="Tornillo, Texas" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Tornillo, Texas</a>, of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_administration_family_separation_policy" title="Trump administration family separation policy" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Trump administration family separation policy</a> that involved the separation of children of immigrant families. The city is just miles from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande" title="Rio Grande" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Rio Grande</a>, the river that forms the border of the United States and Mexico in the state of Texas.<sup id="cite_ref-aguilar_8-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-aguilar-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[8]</a></sup> The Trump administration had created a "tent-city" in Tornillo, where separated children were being held without their parents. O'Rourke called this practice "un-American" and the responsibility of all Americans.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" style="" size="4"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Escobar won the general election on November 6, defeating Republican Rick Seeberger.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> She became the first woman to represent the 16th. With her victory, Escobar and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Garcia" title="Sylvia Garcia" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Sylvia Garcia</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> became the first Latina congresswomen from Texas.</span><sup id="cite_ref-primary_4-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-primary-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[4]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[10]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[11]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Although the 16th has long since become a majority-Hispanic district, Escobar is only the second Hispanic ever to represent it, the first being </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvestre_Reyes" title="Silvestre Reyes" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Silvestre Reyes</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, O'Rourke's predecessor.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On November 13, 2019, Escobar was elected as a freshman class representative in a secret ballot by her peers, filling the role of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Hill(politician)" title="Katie Hill (politician)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Katie Hill</a>, who had resigned from Congress.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Escobar#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[12]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Committee_assignments">Committee assignments</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Veronica_Escobar&action=edit§ion=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Committee assignments" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Armed_Services" title="United States House Committee on Armed Services" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Committee on Armed Services</font></b></a><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Armed_Services_Subcommittee_on_Military_Personnel" title="United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Subcommittee on Military Personnel</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Armed_Services_Subcommittee_on_Readiness" title="United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Subcommittee on Readiness</font></a></li></ul></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_the_Judiciary" title="United States House Committee on the Judiciary" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Committee on the Judiciary</font></a></b><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Judiciary_Subcommittee_on_the_Constitution,Civil_Rights_and_Civil_Liberties" title="United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties</font></a></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Judiciary_Subcommittee_on_Immigration_and_Citizenship" title="United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship</font></a></li></ul></li></ul><h3 style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: 0px; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Caucus_memberships">Caucus memberships</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Veronica_Escobar&action=edit§ion=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Caucus memberships" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h3><ul style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" images="images" bullet-icon.svg="bullet-icon.svg" f1="f1"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Hispanic_Caucus" title="Congressional Hispanic Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Congressional Hispanic Caucus</font></a></b></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus" title="Congressional Progressive Caucus" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Congressional Progressive Caucus</font></a></b></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Democrat_Coalition" title="New Democrat Coalition" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">New Democrat Coalition</font></a></b></li></ul></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">icn no lnx</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>5 Election Winners to Watch on Climate as Environment Crusaders Head to Congress</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>They’ve taken on polluters and built climate solutions. Now they’re bringing activism to Congress in one of the most diverse freshman classes in U.S. House history.</div><div>Marianne Lavelle</div><div>BY MARIANNE LAVELLE </div><div>
</div><div>NOV 12, 2018</div><div>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for other climate supporters after defeating a long-time congressman in the Democratic primary. Dan Videtich for the Washington Post via Getty Images</div><div>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for other climate supporters after defeating a long-time congressman in the Democratic primary. Dan Videtich for the Washington Post via Getty Images</div><div>
</div><div>Capitol Hill is about to get an injection of environmental and climate activism.</div><div>
</div><div>The freshman class of the 116th Congress—in addition to including an historic number of women and being one of the most ethnically and racially diverse—will have a striking number of members who have been environmental crusaders. With track records of taking on powerful fossil fuel interests or building clean energy businesses, many of them are talking about a "Green New Deal"—a massive federal government effort for clean energy and jobs.</div><div>
</div><div>Although such federal legislation seems unlikely in the short term, given the Republicans' hold on the Senate and President Donald Trump's veto pen, this Congress will have members who have taken on big environmental and social justice challenges and prevailed.</div><div>
</div><div> </div><div>"We are thrilled that so many new members of the 116th Congress have been longtime leaders in accelerating our transition to clean energy and combating climate change," said Tiernen Sittenfeld, senior vice president for government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, which spent a record $80 million campaigning for green candidates this year. Sittenfeld said their expertise and track records in fighting powerful interests in their states are "a welcome addition to Congress at a critically important time."</div><div>
</div><div>RL Miller, founder of Climate Hawks Vote, said she is "incredibly optimistic" about the next Congress. "The incoming freshman class is shifting the Democrats to the left—if you consider 100 percent clean energy 'left,'" she said.</div><div>
</div><div>Here are just a few of this election's winners who have pledged to push back against President Donald Trump's rollbacks of environmental protection, while pushing forward a climate action agenda in the new Congress.</div><div>
</div><div>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Bronx and Queens, New York</div><div>Visiting the Dakota Access pipeline protests in 2016 "tipped the scale for me," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a Reddit forum. Trump had not yet won the presidency, but Ocasio-Cortez's candidate, Bernie Sanders, had lost his quest for the Democratic nomination. She and other Sanders campaigners, still eager to connect with likeminded protagonists, traveled to places like Flint, Michigan, where residents were fighting for clean water, and North Dakota, where the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe was waging a struggle against a pipeline near their water supply.</div><div>
</div><div>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Credit: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images</div><div>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an environmental justice activist, made climate action a centerpiece of her campaign. Credit: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images</div><div>
</div><div>Ocasio-Cortez, a former Bronx bartender, entered politics at the next opportunity—pulling off an upset win in the Democratic primary last spring to unseat long-serving Rep. Joe Crowley. She made climate action a centerpiece of her campaign, noting how coastal areas of her district like Throgs Neck and City Island are fighting erosion and rising sea levels. She also links environmental action with economic transformation and a mobilization toward 100 percent renewable energy nationwide by 2035.</div><div>
</div><div>"Radically addressing climate change is a potential path towards a more equitable economy with increased employment and widespread financial security for all," her platform said.</div><div>
</div><div><b>Sean Casten, suburbs of Chicago, Illinois</b></div><div>Sean Casten and his father built an energy efficiency business around what he calls "boring, unsexy" technology: They helped manufacturers cut their greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills by capturing industrial waste heat and recycling it on site to generate electricity twice as efficiently as the power grid. Casten is determined to pursue policies that treat acting on climate change as a win-win opportunity that will create new businesses and jobs—as it did in his own life.</div><div>
</div><div>Sean Casten, an engineer elected to the U.S. House from Chicago's suburbs. Credit: Casten Campaign</div><div>Sean Casten, an industrial energy efficiency engineer, says he'll pursue policies that take action on climate change and create new business opportunities and jobs. Credit: Casten campaign</div><div>
</div><div>Casten defeated Republican Rep. Peter Roskam, who had a pro-environment voting record of a mere 3 percent last year, according to the League of Conservation Voters scorecard.</div><div>
</div><div>"I believe everybody in this country deeply cares about climate change," Casten said. "If you say, 'Are you concerned with waves of refugees? Are you concerned with tropical diseases becoming subtropical? Are you concerned about all these billion-dollar insurance events? Are you concerned about energy costs?' If you frame the issues where people are, they will connect the dots."</div><div>
</div><div><b>Rashida Tlaib</b>, Detroit, Michigan</div><div>Michigan officials insisted there was no danger from the black piles on the Detroit riverfront—petroleum coke, a waste product of the billionaire Koch brothers' oil refining operations. In 2013, wind was blowing the black dust into the air, into the Detroit River, and into the homes and gardens of constituents of Rashida Tlaib, then a representative in Michigan's legislature.</div><div>
</div><div>Frustrated with the state's inaction, Tlaib (pronounced tah-LEEB) grabbed kitchen gloves and plastic baggies, and with a small team of citizens marched past the "No Trespassing" signs to collect samples. They found it contained potentially harmful vanadium and selenium, and ultimately, the piles were removed.</div><div>
</div><div>Rashida Tlaib. Credit: Tlaib Campaign</div><div>As a state representative, Rashida Tlaib helped force a cleanup on the Detroit waterfront of petroleum coke, a waste product of the billionaire Koch brothers' oil refining operations. Credit: Tlaib campaign</div><div>
</div><div>Tlaib plans to take the environmental justice fight to Congress, as well as working for curbs on corporate campaign contributions. "Taking on corporate greed is an environmental concern," she told ThinkProgress. Filling the seat of retired Rep. John Conyers, Tlaib, along with Minnesota's Ilhan Omar will be the first two Muslim women in Congress.</div><div>
</div><div><b>Mike Levin, suburbs of San Diego, California</b></div><div>Mike Levin launched his campaign for Congress at a town hall last year, when he handed "Climate Change for Beginners" to his congressman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). Issa, who had called climate science a "convenient lie" and attacked clean jobs programs, eventually retired rather than face reelection in a once-Republican district that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.</div><div>
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</div><div>Mike Levin, an environmental lawyer, co-founded a clean energy nonprofit and lobbied for state rules to cut greenhouse gas emissions and deploy more electric vehicles. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images</div><div>
</div><div>Levin has said that growing up on California's coast inspired him to become an environmental lawyer and activist. He co-founded Sustain OC, a clean energy nonprofit in Orange County and helped lobby for the state policies now in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deploy more electric vehicles. He also worked to establish renewable energy projects, like a fuel cell power plant at the University of California San Diego that is running off of the waste methane produced at the Point Loma wastewater facility.</div><div>
</div><div>"If we think about the integration of solar and wind and storage and other renewables, waste to energy, where eventually they will become 100 percent of our energy mix, it will be a massive economic opportunity," Levin told local news station KPBS. "Now what we need is a supportive federal government."</div><div>
</div><div><b>Veronica Escobar, El Paso, Texas</b></div><div>The smokestacks of the American Smelting and Refining Company, known as Asarco, loomed over El Paso's landscape and history when Veronica Escobar began her tenure as county commissioner in 2007. The shuttered site was where some of the first studies established the toll of lead pollution on children. When Asarco sought to reopen the smelter, Escobar opposed it, testifying in the state capitol and joining in protests. The opposition was successful and Asarco was eventually ordered to clean up the site.</div><div>
</div><div>Veronica Escobar. Credit: Escobar Campaign</div><div>As a county commissioner, Veronica Escobar fought polluters and helped block a utility's attempt to charge more money to customers who have rooftop solar. Credit: Escobar campaign</div><div>
</div><div>Escobar, who later became the top county executive, sought a cleaner, healthier future for the community, started a public-private ecotourism commission to promote the local outdoor recreation industry, and created a foundation to build a riverside trail across the county. She intervened to block an effort by El Paso Electric to charge more money to customers that had rooftop solar.</div><div>
</div><div>"Our planet is being destroyed in front of our very eyes, on OUR watch," Escobar said on Twitter after the Trump administration unveiled its plan to roll back President Barack Obama's signature climate initiative, the Clean Power Plan. "We have an obligation to fight to protect our environment with every fiber of our being. These midterm elections are the most important of our lifetime. For us, for our planet, for our children."</div><div>
</div><div>She is replacing Beto O'Rourke, who decided not to seek reelection last year when he began his unsuccessful run against Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate. Escobar and Sylvia Garcia will be the first Latinas to represent Texas in Congress.</div><div>
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