Meet The Venezuelan-Born Mom Who Ran For State Senate To Stop SocialismWest Virginia’s newest state senator is a Tea Party immigrant: ‘After seeing what happened in Venezuela, I was not going to let my adopted country go that direction without a fight.’By Jayme Metzgar
February 14, 2017
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While Americans fixate on the new Republican majority in Washington DC, they may have overlooked the party’s gains in their own state capitals. It wasn’t just Donald Trump who won big-league in 2016. Republicans also picked up dozens of seats in statehouses. All told, the GOP now controls the legislatures of 32 states (compared to 14 for Democrats), an all-time high for the party.
My home state of West Virginia is no exception. Two years ago, we saw our first Republican majority since the Great Depression, with the GOP gaining even more ground in 2016. One of those gains was in my district, where my friend and fellow homeschooling mother Patricia Rucker recently became my state senator. Although I’m admittedly biased, Rucker is both a good model for anyone looking to get more involved in local politics, and a reminder of the value that freedom-seeking immigrants bring to America....
She was born Patricia Elena Puertas in Caracas, Venezuela. Her parents, José and Haydeé, had both grown up as the eldest children of large, working-class families. They each became the first in their families to attend college, working hard to support themselves as journalism students. They used their first paychecks to help Haydeé’s parents leave the slums for a two-bedroom apartment in Caracas, with their eight younger children. ...
By sixth grade, Patricia had finished speech therapy and mastered English. After that, she quickly advanced to her school’s “gifted and talented” class. There she had another formative experience.
“Even though there weren’t many Hispanics in Montgomery County back then, I never thought of myself as different. In my mind, I was like everyone else.” But her fellow students were more familiar with the ways of the world. “As soon as I got into the gifted and talented program, several of the other students assumed that I was only there because I was the token Hispanic. They thought I hadn’t gotten there on my own merits.”
The experience rankled. “It was then that I decided I hated the labeling. I hated the affirmative action. You’re trying to do me a favor, but you’re actually making it worse for me! I don’t want you to do me a favor. I want to succeed through my own achievements.” She laughs a little at the memory. “And I think that’s when I first became a Republican. The Democratic Party has become a party of favors and putting people into pigeonholes. I don’t want to be labeled; I don’t want to be limited. I wanted to be limitless. I don’t want you giving me anything. I want you to get out of my way and let me live my life.” ...
The article from The Federalist goes on to describe how she became a citizen, her views on Venezuela and Chavez, and how she became a tea party activist and ultimately defeated a very liberal gay member of the state senate.
