Texas Latino Conservatives honored former state Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, and Voz Media CEO Orlando Salazar with awards Wednesday.
Guzman, 62, was named as winner of the group’s “Tough Tejano” award during a luncheon at Gilley’s Dallas. A state Supreme Court justice from 2009-2021, she resigned and challenged incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2022, finishing third in the Republican primary.
The Houston attorney was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Texas high court for civil appeals. She was unable to attend Wednesday’s event because of a flight delay.
“I look in the mirror every single day … and I promise to deliver to the people of Texas experience, integrity, and respect for the rule of law,” Guzman said in videotaped comments.
Flores, 37, was the first woman born in Mexico to serve in the U.S. Congress. The Republican represented Texas’ 34th Congressional District from 2022-2023. Flores won a June 2022 special election for the seat but lost to Democrat Vicente Gonzales in November 2022 in a bid for a full two-year term.
The daughter of Mexican migrant workers, Flores moved to Texas at age six and became a U.S. citizen at 14. She is married to a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
“I can’t tell you how much this means to me,” said Flores, who was presented a Trailblazer award. “I am blessed to be here.”
“I come from a hard-working migrant family. I was 13 when I started working in a cotton field. It instilled in me the value of hard work and money.”
Flores became a respiratory therapist and achieved “the American dream,” she said, after marrying and having four children.
“My term ended in January, but I am just getting started,” said Flores, who is now working with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Salazar also was honored with a Trailblazer Award. He did not attend but was praised by host Orlando Sanchez, a former Houston mayoral candidate and Texas Latino Conservatives founder, for his work in media.
Alfredo Ortiz, president and CEO of Job Creators Network, was the keynote speaker.
This was the group’s fourth annual award luncheon but the first to be held in Dallas.
Blah, blah, blah. Was Harlan Crow there?
How is it the “Dallas” Express “newspaper” has no news on “Dallas Billionaire?”
It feels like Crow has been newsworthy of late, no? Is this “newspaper” cherry picking news?