Who Judith is
Zaffirini has not missed a single vote in the Texas Senate since January 1987 — thirty-nine years, tens of thousands of votes, a record no one in America has matched — and she has passed more bills than any legislator in Texas history.
About Judith
She was born in Laredo, supporting herself from 17 and married at 18, and worked three part-time jobs at once to earn a bachelor's, a master's and a doctorate from UT — no financial aid. She taught college for 13 years and volunteered teaching students with intellectual disabilities, and that's the through-line of her career: schools, health care, the people the system forgets. In 1987 she became the first Hispanic woman ever elected to the Texas Senate; in 2023, the first woman to serve as its Dean. This is a rematch — she beat Julie Dahlberg by a landslide in 2022.
Where they stand
- Reproductive RightsAgree
- Immigration & BorderDisagree
- Housing & AffordabilityAgree
- Public EducationAgree
- Election IntegrityAgree
- HealthcareDisagree
- Social Security & MedicareAgree
- Gun PolicyDisagree
- Climate & EnergyDisagree
Also on the ballot for TX State Senate • District 21
Every candidate on this ballot line appears here, in alphabetical order. Tap a name to read more.
Julie DahlbergAn Army veteran and glass-company owner taking on the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate.
About Julie
Dahlberg, of La Vernia, is a U.S. Army veteran who ran a San Antonio sober-living nonprofit and now owns a glass business. She describes herself as a Christian conservative making her first run for the Legislature.