‘I belong here’: How Samantha Lopez-Resendez’s NHI journey prepared her to run for a Texas House seat

Like so many students who participated in Austin-area Texas LDZ programs, Samantha Lopez-Resendez got to travel to the Texas State Capitol, and as a senator at the 2010 Texas LDZ, got to sit in a seat in the Capitol House of Representatives chamber. 

“It was just the most exhilarating experience,” she recalls. “That’s where I got a real introduction into the legislature and what it was, and what your legislators do. And I remember sitting in the seats of the Texas House and feeling I belong here. My voice matters, and I definitely belong in these seats. And I think it’s just really incredible that now, next year, I’m going to get to sit in those same seats and it’s all going to be full circle.” 

Lopez-Resendez, who participated in the 2009 Texas Great Debate and 2010 Texas LDZ while attending Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) High School, has spent much of her career at a chief of staff in the Texas House of Representatives, most recently for Rep. Donna Howard. This year, she’s aiming to become a representative herself, having won the Democratic primary for the House District 50 race. 

Should she win — and she’s in a heavily Democratic district currently represented by U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico — she says she’ll be, at age 31, the youngest female Democrat elected to the Texas House. She wouldn’t be the first NHI alumnus or alumna to go to the Texas Legislature – as NHIers from both parties have become part of the legislature prior — but she would become the youngest NHIer to make the leap.

“The next generation of leadership does need to step in and step up and shape the policies that are going to affect the rest of our lives,” she said. “And the more I looked around as a chief of staff working in the legislature, the more I saw that there are hardly any young people in the legislature.” 

Much of that has to do with the nature of the job — it pays just $7,200 a year, a figure unchanged since 1975, and adds a $221 per diem for each day of the session. 

“It’s really hard for young people to have a voice in the room or a seat at the table when the process is not really meant for young individuals to step in,” she said. “I felt such a major responsibility to lead this next generation,” adding that NHI Fundamental No. 9, Proceed Only On Faith, could play a part in her journey. 

Her desire to lead — and the belief she could lead in the first place — was propelled by her formative experiences in NHI. 

“NHI taught me that I even had a voice and that my voice mattered in the first place,” she said. “What I loved so much about NHI was that NHI didn’t teach me what to think; they taught me how to think and how to look at arguments and debates from all angles and all perspectives, and defend that.

“Then, also have the ability to challenge others in your community about their thought processes,” she added. “I love so much the entire process of NHI, because it’s not about picking one side or the other. It’s literally just about finding your voice, finding what you believe in, and then going full force with it.” 

Lopez-Resendez also knows the importance of working across the aisle from her time at the Texas State Capitol. Her first legislative position was working for Rep. Ryan Guillen, who switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party during his tenure, and as chief of staff for Representative Howard, needed to partner with her counterparts in the other party to pass legislation. 

“In 2023, one of the most incredible pieces of legislation that I had the honor to work on was the sales tax exemption for feminine hygiene products and adult and baby diapers,” she recalls. The Republicans in the House majority sought a bill that would be considered a win for women, and Rep. Howard’s bill to address staples being considered luxuries caught their eye. 

“Every bill that we’ve ever passed has to have been bipartisan because we need ultimately the Republican majority to be on board, and that is where my expertise lies as a policy staffer and policy communicator,” she said. “I’m able to reach across the aisle to staffers and to members. I already have those solidified relationships where I’m able to have honest conversations and say, ‘Hey, this is what makes sense for not just my community, but your community, too. Let’s work on this together.’” 

She says that approach — helping legislators to see matters the way their constituents do — will be key to her collaborating with colleagues and passing bills. Though it’s perhaps premature to be thinking of her committee assignments, she has a few in mind should voters in November do what Democratic voters did in March. 

The House Committee on Appropriations, she notes, is where state budget matters are discussed and where legislators can find funding for programs. The House Committee on State Affairs, also on her radar, is where discussions on energy, water, and emergency preparedness happen — based on her experience when Representative Howard was on that committee, she finds it “exhilarating.” She also believes that Central Texas needs representation on the House Committee on Public Education, and could serve in that role. 

However, she also feels prepared no matter what she would be called to do.  

“There’s not a policy area that I wouldn’t dive into because of my experience of being a policy person and a chief of staff for Representative Howard,” she said. “I have the flexibility to work on any issue that comes to the table, and all of those experiences are ultimately going to help me in whatever committee I end up on.”