Last year, I launched my campaign for the Democratic nomination for Texas House District 41. After years of advocacy at the federal and state levels, organizing local community leaders, and fighting for our people, I felt the time was right to make that jump. My heart was fully in it. I did the work. I put in the time. I was ready.
Unfortunately, it wasn't in God's plans this year, and that's okay. What made those final days of the campaign even harder was the sudden loss of my older brother. I wasn't in the right headspace to make any endorsement decision, and I wasn't going to make an irrational one. I needed time to grieve, to clear my head, and to look at the big picture. Over the past two months, I've done exactly that. I've been back in the fight for our people.
From Trump's cruel immigration policies to Congresswoman Monica de la Cruz's inaction on our affordability crisis to Greg Abbott weaponizing state agencies against our communities, the stakes couldn't be higher. Texas House District 41 needs to send someone to Austin with the gravitas, the experience, and the relationships to meet this moment. The issues facing our families, deportations, unaffordable housing, underfunded schools, our democracy, and a healthcare system failing working people, demand a representative who already knows how to navigate the halls of power and move the needle.
That's why I'm endorsing Victor "Seby" Haddad for the Democratic Primary Runoff.
This isn't a blind endorsement, and it comes with expectations. Seby and I had disagreements during the campaign. I don't agree with his past voting history. But over these past two months I've had serious and direct conversations with him, and I've gotten to know him better as a person and where he stands on important issues now. People evolve. Communities evolve.
What I can tell you is that Seby is genuinely decent, open to hard conversations, and doesn't run from criticism. Character and integrity matter to me. He's not a newcomer to public service either. He's made tough decisions as a City Commissioner, and he's put in the work in this community long before this race was on anyone's radar. I've watched him show up consistently to immigration protests, something some of our own elected Democrats have shied away from doing. I've seen voters grill him face-to-face on his record, and he doesn't flinch. He takes the tough questions. He literally puts his direct cell phone number out there publicly. Call him yourself. Talk to him.
And make no mistake, the Valley is watching. Voter turnout across the 956 has exceeded expectations this cycle. People are engaged, they're organized, and they are paying attention like never before. Seby knows and understands this. Accountability doesn't end on Election Day, and any representative of this district should know that going in.
This district is a Republican target. Greg Abbott is ready to spend big to flip it, and we need a candidate who can win in November. There's a reason the Hidalgo County Republican Party has been working overtime to undermine Seby. They know he's the tougher candidate to beat.
I've been saying it for a while now: if Democrats want to win in 2026 and 2028, we have to win by addition, not subtraction. It isn't just Democrats who are angry with Trump and his agenda. Republicans are too. Independents are too. Winning requires coalition building. I know what it takes to build those coalitions because I've done it successfully. And when I talk to Seby, I see someone who understands that same thing. That pragmatic approach has always been mine and it's not changing now.
Seby isn't just running to win a Primary. He's making the case for November. And that's the whole point. That's exactly the kind of thinking we need from a Democratic candidate.
I've learned that ideology without strategy doesn't move the needle for real people. The families being torn apart right now, the teachers being underpaid, the people rationing insulin - they don't have time for us to get it wrong. Sometimes the most progressive thing you can do is be strategic. This is one of those times.
Editor's Note: The above guest column was penned by community leader and former Texas House District 41 candidate Eric Holguín. The column appears in the Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author.
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