Dallas County voters shatter stereotypes in one fell swoop.

Bold new leadership in sheriff's department
Dallas Morning News
01:43 AM CST on Wednesday, November 3, 2004

Who would've ever imagined:
A woman sheriff in Dallas County?
A Democratic woman sheriff in Dallas County?
A Hispanic Democratic woman sheriff in Dallas County?
A gay Hispanic Democratic woman sheriff in Dallas County?
Lupe Valdez

Of course, none of those modifiers captures the most salient facts about sheriff-elect Lupe Valdez – that she is a seasoned law enforcement veteran with both police and administrative skills. But, darn it, besides having recommended her, we're tickled that Dallas County voters managed to shatter at least four different stereotypes in one fell swoop.

Of course, Ms. Valdez may find that winning the job over the able and well-qualified Republican Danny Chandler was the easy part. She walks into a department tainted by years of good-old-boy cronyism, if not outright corruption. She's an outsider – a plus. But she's also an outsider in a department that may greet her with some special skepticism.

Fine. A little awkwardness is OK. But only a little. The Dallas Sheriff's Department is a troubled agency with urgent and serious responsibilities to the residents who put their trust in Ms. Valdez. We call on the department's leaders to welcome the new boss, roll up their sleeves and get to work.

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi
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Political novices, campaign pros
They were the unlikely core of Valdez's winning race for sheriff

11:02 PM CST on Saturday, November 6, 2004
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
They were a motley crew. They had virtually no political campaign experience. They had relatively little money to work with.
And they won.
The group of political novices who coalesced around Democrat Lupe Valdez – the sheriff's candidate who squeezed out a stunning victory over the better-financed, better-known, better-connected Republican Danny Chandler – lacked political expertise.
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"Lupe's success was very important for the party," said Susan Hays, the Democratic Party chairwoman for Dallas County. She noted a dearth of good, experienced campaign people in the region, and many who have worked a statewide or congressional race are not inclined to work on a local race.
"But she already had a great, energized base," Ms. Hays said. The team that formed around Ms. Valdez meshed well – not a sure thing in an election campaign, when strangers are thrown together under tense conditions.
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“ Young Texas Democrats are realizing they can't just flee the Republican-controlled state for places where there are more like-minded folks. "If the tide is going to change here, we have to stay and change it ourselves," Amy Ward
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source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/110704dnmetvaldezteam.43b04.html