By a margin of 65 percent to 35 percent, Rosemary Lehmberg defeated her opponent Mindy Montford to win her runoff election for Travis County, Texas district attorney. With no Republican challenger in the fall, Lehmberg becomes the presumptive winner of the post.

The Travis County district attorney is the most powerful prosecutor in the state of Texas, due to the official’s responsibility for prosecuting corrupt state officials through the office’s independent Public Integrity Unit. Lehmberg, who is openly lesbian, held the endorsement of outgoing district attorney Ronnie Earle, who gained national exposure for his prosecution of Tom Delay.

Lehmberg, an endorsee of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, thanked Earle in her remarks to supporters last night. The Austin Statesman-American reports:

Addressing supporters at Joe’s Bar and Grill on Tuesday night, Lehmberg said she would get to work soon on issues that came up during the campaign, including how best to deal with drug offenders and environmental crimes. She thanked supporters, including Earle.

“Ronnie, you’ve been my friend and my mentor, my boss,” she said, looking at Earle and then turning to the crowd. “He gave me the greatest gift of all: He gave me his good name.”

During the campaign, Lehmberg said that, like Earle, she would rarely seek the death penalty.

Lehmberg repeatedly said that she was the best candidate to run the independent public integrity unit, the state-funded arm of the office that investigates those accused of wrongdoing at the Texas Capitol. During the runoff campaign, Lehmberg criticized Montford for taking money from Capitol lobbyists and wealthy businesspeople from outside Austin, saying the donations would cloud her judgment in public integrity unit investigations.

The editorial board of the Austin American-Statesman has endorsed openly lesbian candidate Rosemary Lehmberg for Travis County, Texas district attorney. The board wrote that Lehmberg is the best candidate in her intense runoff election versus fellow Democrat Mindy Montford.

The American-Statesman claimed that Lehmberg has “experience running the office that Montford… can’t match.” The paper also criticized Montford’s “lobby-laden” contributor list.

The paper writes:

Should she win, Lehmberg will face the challenge of establishing her independence from Earle. We believe she can do that.

Should Montford win, the contributor list will always inform public opinion about her decisions. Fair or not, this is one instance in which perceptions matter.

To contribute to Rosemary’s campaign, click here.

Four openly gay and lesbian Victory Fund-endorsed candidates advanced in their primary elections yesterday in Texas.  They’ll compete in runoff and general elections next.

Lupe Valdez, known for being the first female, Latina and lesbian sheriff to ever hold the office of Dallas County Sheriff, took a big step toward re-election by defeating three opponents in her Democratic primary. More impressively, she won more than 50 percent of the vote, avoiding a potential runoff election.

Rosemary Lehmberg earned the most votes in the Democratic Primary in her bid to become Travis County District Attorney. Lehmberg got 35 percent of the vote, while her nearest opponent received 31 percent. Outgoing District Attorney Ronnie Earle, known for his prosecution of Tom Delay, has endorsed her.  Lehmberg faces a runoff election for the Democratic nomination.

Additionally, two of Victory’s judicial candidates–Steve Kirkland (215th Civil District Court) and Andres Pereira (190th Civil District Court)–won their Democratic primaries and will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

…you know where.Tuesday is a big day for six Victory Fund-endorsed candidates in Texas. Brian Thompson, Glen Maxey, Lupe Valdez, Andres Pereira, Steve Kirkland and Rosemary Lehmberg are all doing last-minute footwork to try to get their voters to the polls for their respective primaries.  Below, get to know each of the candidates and why they deserve your support.

Brian Thompson
Running for: Texas state House of Representatives, District 46
About Brian: Brian is an attorney who contributes pro-bono legal services to the Political Asylum Project of Austin, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services to those in need.
Why he deserves your support: Brian is challenging an unpopular Democratic incumbent who faces corruption allegations and has close ties with Texas Republican leaders. If elected, Brian would bring an LGBT presence to the Texas legislature. There are currently no openly gay state legislators.
Support Brian’s campaign!

Glen Maxey
Running for: Tax Assessor Collector, Travis County
About Glen: A former state representative, Glen was one of the Victory Fund’s first-ever endorsees.
Why he deserves your support: Glen’s support of LGBT causes goes back to 1987, when he was the executive director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas
Support Glen’s campaign! 

Lupe Valdez
Running for: Sheriff, Dallas County
About Lupe: When she was elected in 2004, Lupe became Texas’s first female, lesbian and latina sheriff.
Why she deserves your support: Lupe’s race is particularly hot. She faces challengers in the Democratic primary as well as in the general election. The Republican party is pushing hard to get Democrats out of office in Texas, and Lupe is high on their list of targets.
Support Lupe’s campaign!

Andres Pereira
Running for: Judge, 190th Civil District Court
About Andres: Andres has twelve years of experience as an attorney.
Why he deserves your support: Andres is conscious of his community. He serves on the Board of Texans Together, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing civic participation through education and advocacy.
Support Andres’ campaign!

Steve Kirkland
Running for: Judge, 215th Civil District Court
About Steve: Steve is currently an appointed judge for the city of Houston. He serves as vice chair of the State Bar of Texas’ section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues.
Why he deserves your support: Steve’s race is a county-wide position, so he must reach all of the more than four million people in Harris County.
Support Steve’s campaign!

Rosemary Lehmberg
Running for: District Attorney, Travis County
About Rosemary: Rosemary currently serves as the first assistant to District Attorney Ronnie Earle. Ronnie has endorsed her for the position. In her current role, Rosemary helps fight public corruption in Texas (read more about that here).
Why she deserves your support: Rosemary is the most experienced candidate for this high profile, important position.
Support Rosemary’s campaign!