Sugar Land — Today, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced her endorsement of Sri Preston Kulkarni to be the next congressman for Texas’s 22nd Congressional District against Fired Cop and Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, who criticized the common sense mask mandates Hidalgo enacted in April. Judge Hidalgo has been a leader in addressing the pandemic by relying on science and the guidance of public health experts, qualities that Kulkarni is emphasizing in his campaign.

“As the Chief Executive Officer of Texas’ largest and most diverse county, I’ve been on the frontlines of our region’s efforts to keep Texas families safe during the pandemic, protect and expand affordable healthcare, and address the harmful impacts of national disasters like Hurricane Harvey,” Judge Lina Hidalgo said. “Sri Kulkarni has been on the side of science and reason from the start of this pandemic, and is running against someone who attacked me for implementing a mask mandate meant to save Texans’ lives, just so he could score political points. This is why I’m proud to endorse Sri Preston Kulkarni for Congress.”

Sri Preston Kulkarni released the following statement: 

“Troy Nehls called Judge Hidalgo’s mask mandates ‘unnecessary’ and ‘unAmerican’ when in reality, they proved to be life-saving. While Troy Nehls was playing politics with our health, Judge Hidalgo put politics aside and listened to public health experts when confronting this pandemic, which is exactly what we need from our leaders. I’m grateful for Judge Hidalgo’s support and I look forward to returning science and reason back to Washington.”