Valenzuela concedes to Van Duyne in Texas Congressional District 24 race
Democrat Candace Valenzuela has conceded victory to Republican Beth Van Duyne in the race for Congressional District 24 in Texas.
“Now that nearly all the votes have been counted and there is no longer a path, we are conceding. I want to congratulate Beth Van Duyne on her victory,” Valenzuela said in a statement released Tuesday, one week after election day.
The race for District 24, which includes much of Northeast Tarrant County and the suburban neighborhoods between Fort Worth and north Dallas, was considered a barometer for the Democrats’ “blue wave” effort to win more elected offices traditionally held by Republicans across Texas.
The effort fell short, although the race was close. Van Duyne won 166,363 votes, compared to 161,874 votes for Valenzuela, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
Valenzuela had initially declined to concede the race, saying she wanted to review how counties were counting provisional ballots. District 24 is in Tarrant, Dallas and Denton counties.
Tarrant County election officials continue to work through nearly 12,000 provisional ballots, although that work isn’t expected to change the election results.
Provisional ballots are cast when a voter shows up at the polls and there is some sort of discrepancy — for example, an incorrect voter registration record, or a misspelled name — that must be cleared up before the vote is counted.
Now that the election is over, Valenzuela said she intends to continue working in public service.
“Even though we didn’t win this race, we’ve forced the gatekeepers of the political process to re-imagine who belongs at the table,” Valenzuela said. “There is still so much work to be done and I will continue to be a tireless advocate for our schools and all working families across North Texas.”
Van Duyne’s staff said she will be only the second Republican woman to represent Texas in Congress — after U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who was first elected in 1997 and was re-elected handily last week.
“I am honored the people of North Texas have placed their faith and trust in me to serve as their voice in Congress,” Van Duyne said in a statement. “This was a hard-fought election under the most challenging and bizarre of circumstances we have ever seen.”
“My pledge to the people of the 24th District is that no matter whom you supported in this election, I will work tirelessly for you and your family to expand job opportunities, deliver sustainable growth for our region, and empower all of our citizens with a stronger, brighter future.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 11:24 AM.
