![]() I’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime, and realized I needed to be an advocate for others who were struggling.”Īnd he followed through on that determination in spades. “There I was, advising the second-most powerful person on the planet on policies and issues that affected the nation’s Hispanic and LGBTQ communities. “Working in Al Gore’s office triggered a profound commitment to advocacy,” Vela continues. “My family was financially blessed, but I also saw the reality of the less fortunate. ![]() “I grew up in Harlingen, Texas, one of the most impoverished areas per capita in the US,” he notes. When the second Clinton administration ended, Vela returned to the private and nonprofit sectors. In 1996, Vice President Al Gore summoned Vela to the West Wing and invited him to be his chief financial officer as well as his senior advisor on Hispanic and LGBTQ affairs. During his tenure there, Vela noticeably improved the department’s employee diversity recruitment program. “At first, I worked in Congressional relations, and I later became an assistant to the administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service,” he says. In 1993, Vela entered the political field as an appointee to the first Clinton administration’s US Department of Agriculture. My father was a Cameron County judge my uncle, Filemon Vela Sr., served as a judge on the US District Court for the southern district of Texas and my cousin, Filemon Vela Jr., is the current Congressman from the 34th Congressional District in Texas.” “It’s practically the family business,” Vela says, laughing. Undaunted, he returned to Texas to get his JD from St. I never made it to Broadway, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I tried, rather than regretting what might have been.” “I took singing and acting lessons and went on dozens of auditions. “New York offered my first glimmer of liberation,” he recalls. That’s been a profound theme throughout my life and career.” Moe Vela, Costar, Unicorn HuntersĪfter earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from the University of Texas at Austin, Vela packed four suitcases and set out to pursue his dream: becoming a Broadway star. “What kept me together was trying to figure out my purpose in life. “I discovered my inner survivor, even though I had contemplated suicide a few times,” he reveals. Vela channeled those experiences in a positive way. I sometimes say I should have won an Oscar for my performance back then: I excelled at things I was ‘supposed’ to be interested in-hunting, fishing, and sports, for example-while still keeping my secret at bay and dealing with my own anxiety.” “But I knew I was different, since the age of six or seven. It was filled with unconditional love and incredible values, and we had a long tradition of public and community service,” he says. Instead, he used those stresses to build a foundation for his future. Mix in years of bullying and constant internal anxiety, and Vela’s life could easily have taken a dark turn. To hold an election distant enough to meet filing requirements but before the other uniform election date in November, Gov.Growing up in the closet in 1960s Harlingen, Texas, wasn’t easy, and being part of a prominent family only increased the pressure that Moe Vela faced. ![]() ![]() Greg Abbott inquired the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) if his emergency powers under the Texas Disaster Act allowed him to suspend relevant election laws in light of the Hurricane Harvey disaster declaration affecting the counties of the district. The OAG affirmed that, “To the extent that the special election procedures established in the Election Code prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey,” the Disaster Act permitted the governor to suspend those provisions.Įvery county in the state is currently under a disaster declaration for COVID-19 that Gov. Abbott has renewed on a monthly basis for two years. The early election to fill the remainder of Vela’s term through the end of the year presents a unique opportunity for Republicans to gain a new seat ahead of the next Congress. Under the district boundaries for current members - what would be used in a special election instead of the new congressional map drawn for the 2022 general election - the 34th Congressional District is more favorable toward Republicans. In 2020, the median vote in support of Democrats under the new boundaries was 60 percent. Under the boundaries that will be used in a special election, the median vote for Democrats was 54 percent. ![]()
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