Most people may still want to know more about the Democratic candidate for governor (Wendy Davis), but at least most Texans have heard of her. That may not be true of the candidate for Lt. Governor -- Leticia Van de Putte.
State Senator Van de Putte (pictured) is a very talented and intelligent politician, who has served the people of Texas very well. But I doubt that many people are familiar with her outside of San Antonio and the south Texas area.
I try to stay up with politics in Texas (and the United States), but I have to admit that until last year I didn't know much about Leticia Van de Putte -- and that probably means the majority of Texans (who don't follow politics very closely) would also not know much about this wonderful candidate. So, in the interests of helping voters to get to know her a little bit, I bring you the following facts about her. This is from the
Lone Star Project, and gives us a few things that most voters probably don't know about Leticia Van de Putte.
Senator Van de Putte has been blessed with six children and six grandchildren and has been married to Pete Van de Putte for 36 years.
She is a registered and practicing pharmacist. When she’s not serving as a legislator, she is in a white coat working as a neighborhood pharmacist at Davila Pharmacy, in the West San Antonio neighborhood where she grew up.
Her work on House Bill 5, the landmark education curriculum and testing reform bill in 2013 was instrumental in its development and passage — work that earned her a spot on Texas Monthly's 10 Best Legislators of 2013 list.
She is chair of the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee. In honor of her father, a veteran of the Korean war era, she has devoted her legislative career to honoring service members and veterans, most recently with legislation providing property tax exemptions for wounded warriors and surviving spouses.
She served as Senate Democratic Caucus Chair from 2003 to 2011, and led the historic 2003 Senate quorum break to block Tom DeLay’s mid-decade redistricting scheme that trampled on the rights of minority voters. Her heroism stands in stark contrast to Tom DeLay’s felony conviction.
Along with Rep. Senfronia Thompson, she has been the leading voice at the Capitol in anti-human trafficking legislation and in advocating for the victims of this heinous crime.
Senator Van de Putte served as Co-Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention where President Barack Obama was formally nominated. In the same year, Senator Van de Putte was the subject of a book published by Texas A&M University Press titled Latina Legislator: Leticia Van de Putte and the Road to Leadership, by Dr. Sharon A. Navarro, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
She bravely challenged the Senate GOP leadership asking "At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over her male colleagues?" and inspiring citizens in the gallery to speak up and speak out to continue Senator Wendy Davis's filibuster to block GOP efforts to deny Texas women healthcare.
She is a former member of the Thomas Jefferson High School Lassos, and is happy to show her rope skills when asked.
She is an avid sports fan and cheers for the Spurs, the Longhorns and the Aggies. She also gets MLB alerts on her phone several times a day.