Vela announces candidacy for U.S. Congress

Citing need for leadership in Washington that works to resolve issues confronting the country, Filemon Vela announced he will run as a Democrat for the U.S. congressional district to be anchored in Brownsville.

“I want to bring to Washington the values of public service I learned growing up to make sure someone in Washington is doing what’s right for South Texas,” Vela said in a written statement.

He said he would make a formal campaign announcement when the district lines are set. Cameron County is currently in District 27.

“Public service to South Texas runs deep in my family. I learned from an early age to put your community first,” Vela added.

An attorney, Vela is the son of the late U.S. District Judge Filemon B. Vela and former Brownsville Mayor Blanca Sanchez Vela. His wife, Rose, is a justice on the 13th Court of Appeals.

Born in Harlingen and raised in Brownsville, Vela said that U.S. House Republicans have been taken over by right-wing extremists, intent on pushing obstructionist agendas that are not productive.

“Mitt Romney says he would veto the Dream Act to punish children who have done nothing wrong. (Gov.) Rick Perry suggests that we should send our troops back to Iraq and that we need to eliminate the Department of Education. These are Republican leaders that are not working for South Texas,” Vela stated.

He said his priorities would be ensuring that Americans approaching their senior years receive the Social Security and Medicare benefits they were promised, promoting jobs in law enforcement to protect South Texans from border violence, and support employees in the energy industry that provides good-paying jobs.

A Georgetown University graduate, Vela received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. A civil litigator for more than 20 years, he said he has been active in public service and politics his entire adult life at the grassroots level in community causes, organizing and getting out the vote.