SAN ANTONIO — Inside a crowded Denny’s along a busy commercial strip, Democratic activists listened intently as Katy Padilla Stout mapped out her plan to flip a sprawling Texas district that has shaded bright red in recent elections.
Padilla Stout, a teacher turned child welfare lawyer, is making her first run for elective office. She was initially considered a steep underdog, given that Donald Trump would have carried the newly redrawn majority-Latino 23rd District by 15 points in 2024.