El Paso Democrat draws influential endorsement in bid to replace U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke

The Texas Tribune: El Paso Democrat draws influential endorsement in bid to replace U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke

By Abby Livingston

Former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar just picked up a consequential endorsement in her bid to replace U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the El Paso Democrat who is making a run for U.S. Senate.

Escobar, a Democrat, earned the endorsement of EMILY's List on Thursday. The organization, which backs female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, can prove pivotal in Democratic primaries. 

EMILY's List – whose acronym stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast” – focuses on raising money through a vast network of individual donors for candidates it has endorsed. The group also has a massive operation in Washington and can lend organizational support to individual campaigns as well as, in some races, further boost a candidate through spending by a related super PAC.

Escobar, who only launched her congressional bid in August, had a solid first quarter in fundraising, with a $332,836 haul.