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Fil-Am beauty queen Averie Bishop beats for seat in Texas legislature

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Lenn Almadin-Thornhill | TFC News 

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oR1Hauhypqo?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>Miss Texas 2022 winner Averie Bishop is gearing up for another competition.Bishop, who was also the second runner up in Miss America 2023, will eye a seat in Texas&#x27; state legislature.“My dad ran for mayor of McKinney when I was 16 years old,&quot; she said. &quot;When I saw him run for office as sort of a normal person, in juxtaposition as someone who typically runs for office, I was very inspired to one day run for office.”On top of Bishop&#x27;s priority if elected is addressing issues in the education sector in the lone Star State.“I personally understand that a lot of students are not receiving the quality education that they deserve based on where they live, for example,&quot; she said. &quot;I desire to one day live in Texas where all students have equitable resources, mentors and support in public schools.”Bishop&#x27;s mother hails from South Cotabato province in the Philippines, and her father was born and raised in Texas.The 27-year-old is running as a Democrat in the Texas House race. Bishop said her parents were surprised when they found out she would be running under the Democratic Party.“They have very conservative leaning values,&quot; she added. &quot;I majored in Human Rights. I have been an advocate and an ally for almost a decade and so they have been very supportive.”Bishop will run against Republican Asian-American Angie Chen Button.The seasoned politician has been serving House District 112 since 2009. She won the seat in 2020 despite U.S. President Joe Biden carrying her district.Said Bishop of her opponent: “I think it’s good actually to see more minority women run for office.”The beauty queen has criticized Republican leaders on issues such as abortion, guns, and race.She recognizes that being a Democrat in Texas&#x27; House of Representatives has its own challenges.“The mission is to increase visibility and transparency in running for office,&quot; said Bishop. &quot;The point of running for office and winning and becoming the first Filipino American in the Texas House is to increase more people running for office after I had led the way.&quot;But for now, Bishop said the difficult part is raising funds for her campaign.&quot;[It] is daunting,&quot; she said. &quot;It’s intimidating but it’s part of the work. I’m a hard worker and I’m not going to let this deter me from the greatest potential to win the race.”