Who is Sally Duval?
I'm a businesswoman who was born and raised in Texas. I have a wonderful husband, two grown kids, an elderly mother, and a job managing the family business. I was raised to believe in bedrock Texas values like hard work, independence, friendliness, and integrity. If elected, I will hold close to those values as I work to enact legislation that will better enable all Texans to achieve a bright future for themselves and their families.
Family Values
My parents were conservative in the old-fashioned sense of the word. Dad was a petroleum geologist who had grown up dirt poor in Dallas during the Depression. Mom was a stay-at home mom who had grown up as an Army brat during WWII. Back then, "conservative" meant saving every penny, admiring men like Dwight Eisenhower, and being opposed to government overreach— things that I still agree with today. As a child, I loved reading, solving puzzles, and being outdoors. Every summer we would go on road trips out West. Wherever we went, my folks taught me to always leave a place better than when I found it so that future generations could also enjoy its beauty. In a way, that's what I'm trying to do now by running for office.
Education and Career
I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance. I've worked in a variety of different jobs over my career, from investment analyst to accountant to consultant. Being a consultant suits me best because I love looking for ways to improve processes and profitability in any organization I encounter. I believe in Capitalism, but I know it works better when the government ensures a level playing field so that everyone has a chance to succeed. My business experience and problem-solving skills will be useful in trying to identify and implement sensible solutions for the problems faced by my Hill Country neighbors.
Across the Pond
After living and working in Texas for forty years, I did something rather crazy in 2006: I married a Frenchman, quit my job, sold my house, and moved to France with my two kids. Our original plan was to get married and stay in Texas, but he got offered his dream job over there, so off we went. It was hard leaving my family and friends, but we came home to Texas every year to visit everybody and fill our bellies with Tex-Mex and BBQ. Being so far from home got harder as the years went on, watching my parents get older and watching my beloved Texas become a hostile environment for women and minorities.
Back Home in Texas
On January 6, 2021, while everyone was watching the chaos at the US Capitol, I was flying home to Texas because I'd gotten word that my father was in the hospital with COVID-19. After the virus took him, I set to work learning how to take care of Mom and manage the family business. I had to do this all alone because it took two years for my husband to get a Green Card. But those tough years are behind us now, and we've settled into our new lives in Texas. This new life includes enough free time and flexibility so that I can run for office and try to build a better Texas for my neighbors.
Why I'm Running
Last November, I went to vote on the 14 constitutional amendments proposed by the Texas Legislature. The next day, I read how other states had voted to enshrine women's reproductive freedom in their own state constitutions. It was then that I realized that the Republican-controlled Texas legislature will never let Texans vote on the issue. They only believe in Democracy when they know their side will win. That's not Democracy. Shortly thereafter I learned that no Democrat had been found to run for this seat, so I decided to do it myself. It was a crazy decision, but the last time I did something this crazy (marrying a Frenchman) it worked out very well. I’m determined to win this race so that I can help all Texans thrive, and with your help, I’m confident we can do it.