Katherine Herrera was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and is currently a Field Director for Bexar County with Texas Latino Conservatives (TLC). Katherine shared that she remembered once aligning with values and beliefs of a Democrat when she was younger. As time passed, she realized that her values aligned more closely with conservative values. She attributes former U.S. Representative Ron Paul’s book, Liberty Defined, as helping her realize where she stood in terms of political issues such as being pro-life and opposed to big government. In her pursuit to learn more about the principles she aligned with, Katherine recognizes the spectrum in political identities such as her own identity of being a moderate with conservative values.
Prior to her identifying with more conservative values, Katherine states that there was not much talk of politics at home. One of Katherine’s first experiences with politics was when her high school participated in a walkout regarding immigration. She felt some participants were not informed enough about immigration. This event helped her understand how important it was for one to truly understand what they are fighting for in order to create a strong message. A message so strong that one should fight for it.
As a member of the Republican Party, Katherine signed up to serve as a precinct chair. She recalls receiving much support from her counterparts and community stating she was paraded around for being young and a Hispanic woman. In 2020, Katherine’s husband at the time ran for office which allowed her to learn more about her local party. She played a prominent role in his campaign by communicating on his behalf at events and within the community. By getting her feet wet in his campaign, Katherine received much praise from community members which naturally led some to ask her when she was planning on running for office. “I met so many people and hearing from them inspired me to take the next steps”, she said. To Katherine, there was always a spark to do more and after continued support from other constituents, she was galvanized to embark on her own campaign in January 2021 for San Antonio City Council District 3. Using her knowledge of campaigning for her ex-husband, Katherine hit the ground with both field and administrative work. She engulfed herself in the history of her district and turned to local clubs and organizations that helped her come up with a game plan. A part of this game plan included blockwalking which Katherine recalls being one of her favorite parts of the campaign. “You go out there thinking you know the main issues for the district, then you go out and learn new things you never knew about but find out after sitting and talking to people in length” said Katherine. She spoke highly of the interactions she had with constituents as they shared their own experiences with local government and issues affecting their neighborhood.
Unfortunately, while running for office and taking care of a family, Katherine experienced an atopic pregnancy and dealt with a very long and complicated miscarriage. These events emphasized to Katherine the need for appropriate maternal care including a need for a maternity ward in the hospital near her at the time. This is an issue important to her and so many women facing our healthcare system. While managing her health and rehabilitation, Katherine continued to show up for her community, and her kids. “My family was a motivator as much as it was a barrier”, she shared. Having to wear so many hats while being present for her kids and her own campaign was nothing short of a challenge. “I remember that I am doing this so my kids can have a better future and I can be an example for them to follow”, said Katherine.
As a candidate, Katherine found herself doing a lot of work that she could have allowed others to do. She advises those wanting to run for office to build a solid team. “Get your work life balance in perspective…if you do not have a good foundation at home, find support and equip yourself with knowledge of the process and the area you are running for” she explained. When reflecting on our local political sphere, Katherine highlights that despite there being a lot of men in the limelight, there are also a lot of women working for them, helping them, and, this work is just as important.
Her thirst for knowledge extends beyond her own personal goals and endeavors. Alongside her opponent for District 3, Katherine was a founding member of the Harlandale McCollum Neighborhood Association which helps educate community members on who to go to for local issues. “Our government is supposed to work for us,” said Katherine. Central to her work is the importance of educating and informing the community on the roles and duties of local government and its entities, giving neighbors access to different views, aiding them in their ability to make informed decisions. After concluding her campaign, Katherine met with her opponent as he continued in a runoff election. She describes learning of the issues they both felt strongly about and recognized the power and importance of endorsing him. Katherine’s ability to organize her neighbors, and bring awareness to resources in San Antonio is a prime example of the collective power behind building our communities. It is through discussion and education that can help us feel more comfortable with what we do not know and take the initiative to learn from one another.
