El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello looks to leap from City Council to Texas Legislature

El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello, who has earned a reputation as the El Paso City Council's most progressive voice, is the second candidate to enter the Texas House District 77.

Annello joins former El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez in the race to replace state Democratic Rep. Lina Ortega, who announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to the seat she's held since 2017.

Despite having to face Perez and anyone else who enters the race between now and the Democratic primary in March — not to mention an unlikely Republican challenger in the November General Election — Annello believes what's worked in the past will work now.

"I am going to do what I've done every election," she said. "I'm going to tell voters about myself and the work I've done and I'm going to listen to them. My job is to elevate the voices of my constituents and this community and I will continue to do that."

More: Former County Commissioner Vince Perez announces bid for Texas House District 77 seat

Annello, now in her second, four-year term on the City Council, has represented El Paso's District 2 since 2017. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Annello graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a degree in graphic design and communications.

Her run for the Texas House of Representatives means she has resigned from her City Council seat, though she vowed to remain attentive to her district's needs until then. Annello said she will remain in her seat until voters choose a replacement in an upcoming special election.

Though no date has been set for the special election, it is likely the City Council will approve one soon.

"This is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," Annello said of leaving City Council. "My job means so much to me. I eat, sleep and breathe this job."

Annello believes experience on City Council will translate to Texas House of Representatives

Though she laments departing a position that's meant so much to her over the last six years, to the point of getting choked up even discussing the end of her tenure, Annello said it was her District 2 constituents that convinced her to make the move to the Legislature.

"My relationships with my constituents are incredibly important," Annello said. "I do think it is a good decision for my community to move forward with running for (House District) 77."

Annello was named Mayor Pro Tempore in January and has served on various boards and committees during her tenure, including the Rio Grande Council of Governments, Emergence Health Network, Local Progress and the Financial Oversight and Audit Committee.

"My work at City Hall required the collaboration of numerous businesses, individuals, and organizations who share the desire to improve quality of life, expand jobs, and keep El Paso safe," Annello wrote in a news release this week announcing her House campaign. "I believe that with my experience as a city representative, I have the skills necessary to fight for El Paso in the state Legislature and bring home the necessary funds to improve our community."

"My last term as a full-time city representative is coming close to an end," Annello wrote. "I want to use the knowledge and skills from service on various boards, commissions, and organizations to continue working for El Paso."

Her current term on the council ends in January 2025.

Annello looking to build on progressive agenda in Texas Legislature

Annello has led the charge in promoting progressive causes in the city, including directing the El Paso Police Department to deprioritize investigations into drag shows, gender-affirming care for trans-youth and abortion following Texas legislation outlawing all three.

She likewise sided with activists last year attempting to advance an ambitious election reform plan.

But that work wasn't always easy, she said, as she faced significant pushback on many of her proposals early on, and she doesn't expect it to be easy in a Republican-dominated Legislature known to be among the most conservative in the nation.

"As an individual ... on a small council of nine to think about going into the state, I recognize the mind shift or the position change that will exist," she said. "What I heard from the community so much ... is just being that voice. I think in the Legislature, you have more of the ability with that voice to change some of those policies that are coming out."

But beyond hot-button issues such as reproductive rights, Annello likewise has her eye on more universal concerns such as access to health care and education.

More: This fight over reproductive services is not over: City Rep. Alexsandra Annello

During the most recent legislative session, Annello was among a group that traveled to Austin to advocate for the $150 million El Paso received to establish a state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital.

"Mental health has always been a huge priority of mine," she said. "That (funding) is a huge benefit for this community, but it's only a start."

On education, Annello blasted the Legislature for not allocating any of the state's historic budget surplus to educators, a move she said greatly impacts El Paso and many other cities across the state.

School vouchers, which are set to be taken up by the Texas Legislature during a special session beginning Monday, likewise pose a "real issue" for those same communities.

"El Paso is such an incredible community of people who work for this community, and teachers are included in that," Annello said. "I want to be a voice for this community and represent them in that fight."

Name: Vince Perez

Party: Democrat

Current campaign: Texas House District 77

Past experience: El Paso County Commissioners Court, 2012-2020; previously married to current state Rep. Claudia Ordaz, D-District 79

Priorities: Opposes school vouchers; opposes Operation Lone Star; continued support for an El Paso law school; reconstruction of the main stretch of I-10 through El Paso; continued investment in El Paso colleges and universities

Quote: "House District 77 needs someone with proven leadership, someone who can add value to our state delegation as they navigate through these tumultuous political times. We have complex 21st century problems to deal with and we can't look to 20th century candidates to solve them."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso city Rep. Alexsandra Annello enters House District 77 race