Hi John, my name is Michelle Vallejo. I am running for Congress to represent TX-15, and I’m proud to be endorsed by Brand New Congress.

In just a bit, I’m going to ask you to contribute to our work to win this election. But first, I want to tell you a bit about myself and why I jumped into this race.

I come from a big family of immigrants, farmworkers, and entrepreneurs. My parents, immigrants who made their way to the Rio Grande Valley from Mexico, did a little bit of everything, but running Pulga Los Portales, our flea market along the border, serving thousands of our community members weekly and helping dozens of working-class entrepreneurs start their businesses, is what has profoundly defined our family values — my values.

It is this proud sense of community and work ethic that I choose to lead with in everything that I do. 

But my life changed forever when I was in college. While at Columbia University, after years of fighting multiple sclerosis, my mother took her last breath at just 46 years old. Then I decided the best way to honor her legacy was to fight for a better future for my family.

To fight for a better future for ALL of us — including you, John.

Living in South Texas and being so close to working-class families and immigrants, I see first-hand the most urgent problems affecting our region today — and I know I can bring about the change needed.

I’m working for stronger and healthier neighborhoods in TX-15 and I have a plan to make this happen. 

It starts with fighting for Medicare for All, raising the minimum wage to $15, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, transitioning to energy-efficient systems, establishing free public college and trade school, and creating a welcoming environment at the border’s just the beginning. 

I’m proud to be partnering with Brand New Congress in one of the most competitive races in the country, and I know that together we can win and fight for our vision. Can you split a contribution of $25, $50, or anything you can afford between my campaign and Brand New Congress today?

We’re at a critical moment for the future of South Texas. Power-hungry groups want to make us believe that our region is an unsafe, undeserving place. 

They want to distract us with extremist issues in the hopes that we won’t notice their greed and, more importantly, we won’t notice how powerful we can be if we all come together to fight for a better world. 

South Texas is ready, and so am I!

I’m not afraid of the fight ahead because I’ve been underestimated and questioned before. Time and time again while growing up, I dealt with questions about why I spoke pocha, or why I mixed English and Spanish, about how I wore my curly hair, and whether it looked too frizzy or if it was professional enough.

But instead of letting that change me, I chose to proudly represent my roots through my education and work. It’s why I decided to return to the Rio Grande Valley and get to work. 

And it’s something I’ll continue in this fight to become your next Congresswoman of TX-15.

Let’s get to work,

Michelle Vallejo
Candidate for Congress, TX-15