Montserrat Garibay has emerged victorious in the race for Texas House District 49, decisively defeating her opponent Arshia Papari. This election marks a significant moment as Garibay fills the seat left vacant by Gina Hinojosa, who successfully captured the governorship, breaking a long-standing Republican dominance in Texas.
In her victory speech delivered at the Travis County Democrats’ watch party in Austin, Garibay shared her inspiring journey. “I came to this country undocumented and not speaking a word of English,” she stated in a social media post on election night. She reflected on her educational background, having graduated from Austin ISD schools, attended Austin Community College and the University of Texas, and ultimately becoming a bilingual pre-K teacher. Garibay initially envisioned a career in the classroom but found a new direction through activism and union involvement.
Garibay, representing the Democratic Party, faced off against Papari, who ran as a Green Party candidate. Notably, there was no Republican contender in the race. The district, which encompasses a significant portion of Austin, from Sunset Valley to North Burnet, is known for its strong Democratic leanings. Garibay previously triumphed over former Austin City Council Member Kathie Tovo in the primaries with approximately 61% of the vote.
With over two decades of experience in education, Garibay has held roles including that of a pre-K teacher and a senior official at the U.S. Department of Education during the Biden administration. She has pledged to prioritize adequate funding for public schools and to implement stricter requirements on private schools benefiting from the state’s $1 billion voucher program. “If those private schools are gonna get these vouchers,” she emphasized, “then we need to make sure that they have those resources for the people that need it the most. And right now, that’s something that we’re not seeing.”
In addition to her educational initiatives, Garibay’s platform includes establishing down payment assistance programs for first-time homeowners, enhancing public transit systems, and expanding Medicaid services.
Her campaign fundraising efforts were substantial, amassing about $540,000, while Papari’s fundraising totaled $4,600 as of October 31, according to the Texas Ethics Commission. Papari, a government student at the University of Texas at Austin, focused his campaign on issues such as rent freezes to mitigate rising housing costs, safeguarding free speech, and advocating for universal childcare. He remarked that he regarded his campaign as a success, independent of the election results, stating, “This comes after years and years of seeing how little young people have been paid attention to and cared for in the political environment.”
