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DALLAS (Reuters) - Dallas County, the home to some of the biggest conservative supporters of President Bush (news - web sites), made history Tuesday night by electing an openly gay Hispanic woman as its sheriff.
Democrat Lupe Valdez, 57, pulled off one of the biggest surprises in the Texas races by defeating Republican Danny Chandler.
"Dallas is an international county," Valdez told reporters. That is what I want to represent."
She will be the first Democrat to serve as Dallas County sheriff in about 30 years. Valdez boasted that she has worked on law enforcement at a local, national and international level.
Valdez was an accomplished officer with U.S. Customs and other federal agencies who also served as a captain in the U.S...