TX-16: Veronica Escobar (D)

About the District

Campaign Website

About Veronica: 

Veronica Escobar is a third-generation El Pasoan who has dedicated herself to the betterment of the community. She is the Democratic Nominee for Congress in Texas’ 16th District after winning a majority of the vote in a crowded primary race with 61% of the vote.

Veronica is proud to have served as County Judge where she was able to have an extraordinary impact on the lives of El Pasoans. Judge Escobar expanded access to affordable healthcare through her support of the El Paso County Hospital District, which has provided vital services for the community and built two new, modern clinics that provide primary care to some of the poorest El Pasoans. She was also instrumental in the foundation of El Paso Children’s Hospital, the only stand-alone children’s hospital on the border.

Judge Escobar fought a system plagued by corruption and self-dealing. She brought significant internal reforms and modernized county government. Judge Escobar initiated and supported legislation that created the only County Ethics Commission in the state of Texas, and secured legislation that increased transparency and accountability over other taxing jurisdictions.

Judge Escobar has been a strong voice for the values of Border communities – tackling issues like cross-border trade and immigration, and communicating about the vibrancy of the U.S.-Mexico Border. She has testified before many state and federal committees, including the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. She is a recognized authority on this topic with four op-eds to her credit in the New York Times about El Paso and the Border.

Judge Escobar served two terms as El Paso County Judge, and previously served one term as County Commissioner for Precinct 2.

Before serving El Paso as an elected official, Judge Escobar was Executive Director for Community Scholars, a local non-profit organization that hired high school students to do public policy research and produce reports about El Paso’s challenges and opportunities. She also served as the Communications Director for Mayor Raymond Caballero and was a faculty member at the University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College. She has served as a volunteer on a number of boards, both in El Paso and for the state of Texas.

Judge Veronica Escobar is the daughter of Benjamin and Isabel Escobar. She and her husband, Michael Pleters, have two children: Cristian Diego (20, a student at Harvard), and Eloisa Isabel (18, a student at Simmons), and they live in Central El Paso.

The biographical information above was sourced from the campaign website; see link above for more information.