Jan. 25 (UPI) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next month, the party’s congressional leaders said Friday.
Considered two rising stars in the Democratic Party, Whitmer will deliver the English language version of the Democratic response and Escobar the Spanish. They will give the party’s position immediately after Trump’s address on Feb. 4.
“Since day one, Gov. Whitmer has rolled up her sleeves to get things done for the people of Michigan,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “She has led the charge to expand healthcare to hundreds of thousands of people, expand protections for hard-working middle-class families and ensure clean drinking water in our communities.”
A former county judge, Escobar succeeded former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in Texas’ 16th District and became one of the first two women of Latin descent to represent the state in Congress.
“Whether it’s giving a voice to Latinos across America, or helping her hometown of El Paso heal after gun violence, or holding the Trump administration accountable for its assaults on the vulnerable, congresswoman Veronica Escobar has embodied the best of public service in her first year in Congress,” Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer said.
Trump’s State of the Union address will be his third as president.
