Columnist Dave McNeely Reflects on Credentials of Leticia Van De Putte, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor

In his December 5^th column, Dave McNeely highlighted the accomplishments of Senator Leticia Van De Putte, who is running to be the first female lieutenant governor in the state of Texas in the upcoming 2014 elections.

Van De Putte, McNeely stated, has had many years of experience in Texas politics. She served eight years in the House as well as 14 years as a senator. The mother of six has also played pivotal roles in the Senate Democratic Caucus, the Democratic National Convention and the National Conference of State Legislatures, according to McNeely.

As stated in the article, Van De Putte gained more fame in June when, following Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s shutting down of Sen. Wendy Davis’s 11-hour filibuster against a bill to increase the difficulty of obtaining an abortion, she exasperatedly asked, “At what point must a female senator raise her hand or her voice to be recognized over the male colleagues in the room?”

Despite her credentials, being elected as the first female lieutenant governor is “an uphill climb [for Van De Putte, especially] in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office” in nearly two decades, McNeely said.

You can read McNeely’s full article here.

Van De Putte was also the central case study of Sharon A. Navarro’s book Latina Legislator, which explores the possibilities of Latina and female legislators. The book describes the 2003 “Texas Eleven” protest led by Van De Putte as well the strides she made for Texas welfare, the Juvenile Code and child healthcare and assessed the effectiveness of her legislation.

More information on Navarro’s book can be found here.