HOUSTON – The candidates are set for the Texas governor's race in November.
Former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez won the Democratic primary runoff Tuesday night.
She's now preparing to face Gov. Greg Abbott.
Valdez, who was once viewed as a liberal outsider, is the Democratic nominee for governor.
The 70-year-old beat Houstonian Andrew White in the runoff. She is the first openly gay and Latina nominee for governor.
Rice University political science professor Mark Jones says Tuesday night will be the highlight of Valdez's run for office.
"The only real question as we look to November is does Lupe Valdez lose by 10, 15 or 20 points?" Jones said.
Jones did say that having someone of the opposite party in the White House will help Valdez, but he says some see her as light on public policy awareness.
"The Democratic machinery was behind Lupe Valdez and she still only narrowly defeated Andrew White, which I think is a good example of the doubts that many Democrats have about her capability to actually run a campaign for governor," White said.