Rachel Mello

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Rachel Mello

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Captain Shreve High School

Bachelor's

Louisiana State University, 2004

Personal

Birthplace

Temple, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Special Education Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Rachel Mello (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas State Senate to represent District 8. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Mello completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rachel Mello was born in Temple, Texas. She earned a high school diploma from Captain Shreve High School and a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University in 2004. Her career experience includes working as a special education teacher.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas State Senate District 8

Incumbent Angela Paxton defeated Rachel Mello in the general election for Texas State Senate District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Paxton (R)	59.4	269,743
		Rachel Mello (D)	40.6	184,642

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 454,385
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ed Kless (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 8

Rachel Mello advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas State Senate District 8 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rachel Mello	100.0	23,078

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,078
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 8

Incumbent Angela Paxton advanced from the Republican primary for Texas State Senate District 8 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Paxton	100.0	68,007

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 68,007
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas State Senate District 8

Ed Kless advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas State Senate District 8 on March 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Ed Kless (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Mello received the following endorsements.

• Texas AFL-CIO

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rachel Mello completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mello's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a current public school teacher with a passion for education and a commitment to making a positive impact. I enjoy volunteering in my community, road trips, photography, and reading. I have been married to my husband, Clovis, for 19 years, and we have 3 children, Michael, Nathaniel, and Elizabeth. ​

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Pro-Public Education: Public money needs to stay in public schools where there is public oversight and accountability.
• Equitable Access to Healthcare: Every patient must have the right to self-determination and informed consent in medical care. Doctors must be free to provide the highest standards of medical care without the fear of financial or criminal penalties.
• Common Sense Gun Laws: Responsible gun owners respect the right of others to be safe from gun violence.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Expanding Medicaid would benefit Texas in the following ways:

- Increase preventative care and reduce reliance on emergency care services
- Provide financial stabilization for hospitals by reducing the burden of uncompensated care costs
- Increase access to mental healthcare services and substance abuse treatment
- Broaden access to Home and Community Based Services which support independent living for individuals with disabilities
- Reduce waiting lists for waiver programs that provide in-home care
- Enhance support for caregivers, including respite services and training and support programs
- Increase federal reimbursement for eligible services provided through special education in public schools

... among other things.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity - Honesty and transparency are crucial for building and maintaining public trust. Adhering to ethical standards, avoiding corruption, and upholding the rule of law demonstrate a commitment to integrity. Constituents expect their leaders to make decisions based on principles, not personal gain.

Accountability - Elected officials must be willing to explain their decisions, own their mistakes, and work towards solutions in the best interests of the people. Responsiveness to constituents' concerns and feedback help ensure that the needs of the people are being met.

Empathy - Elected officials represent a broad range of individuals and communities, often with differing needs and values. Being empathetic helps them understand these diverse viewpoints and craft policies that consider the well-being of all citizens. Effective leaders advocate for the most marginalized and vulnerable populations, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs addressed, particularly when policies affect their livelihoods, health, or rights.

Collaboration - Effective elected officials know how to collaborate with those of differing viewpoints. Bipartisanship is crucial for passing legislation, resolving conflicts, and making government work for everyone. A great leader is able to unite diverse groups and build coalitions to achieve common goals, even in divided political climates.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The responsibilities of a Texas Senator include making and voting on laws, representing their constituents, overseeing the state budget, confirming gubernatorial appointments, and participating in redistricting. They also play a key role in proposing constitutional amendments, holding impeachment trials, and providing oversight of state agencies. Balancing local and statewide interests, collaborating with the executive branch, and ensuring accountability in government are central to their work.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was seven years old the year the Berlin Wall fell. It was a big deal to the grown-ups. I don't remember it being important to me for any reason other than my dad had lived in Germany when he was in the Army, and it was happening there, and it felt like that might be important. It felt like knowing something about him that he hadn't shared with me before.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I had a summer job at a small business called The Weston Company. Mr. Weston had patented and his company built Sub-Tek units used for offshore drilling. He was mostly retired by the time I worked for the company. I primarily worked in the office doing data entry and helped with inventory in the warehouse.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

At this time, I do not have any interest in pursuing a different political office in the future.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I met a recently unemployed single mother of a disabled adult at an event in McKinney. Despite several interviews, neither she or her son were able to find work. Her unemployment benefits were roughly $2000 per month, which is not enough to pay rent in the area she was living, and she and her son were on the verge of homelessness. This situation highlights the challenges faced by many of our citizens as the cost of housing in SD8 has continued to outpace income.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have been endorsed by the following organizations:

Texas AFL-CIO COPE
Texas Democrats with Disabilities
Collin County Democrats with Disabilities
McKinney Area Democratic Club
Texas Progressive Caucus
Plano Area Democrats
Mothers Against Greg Abbott
Center for Freethought Equality PAC
Progress Texas
Blue Horizon Texas PAC
Climate Cabinet
Defense of Democracy
Collin County Stonewall Democrats
National Association of Social Workers PACE - Texas Chapter

Additionally, I have been recognized as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate and an Inseparable Mental Health Now Candidate.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Rachel Mello campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas State Senate District 8	Lost general	$21,603	$17,477
Grand total			$21,603	$17,477
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Texas State Senate District 8

Website

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Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Texas State Senate

Leadership

Senators

District 1

Bryan Hughes (R)

District 2

Bob Hall (R)

District 3

Robert Nichols (R)

District 4

Brandon Creighton (R)

District 5

Charles Schwertner (R)

District 6

Carol Alvarado (D)

District 7

Paul Bettencourt (R)

District 8

Angela Paxton (R)

District 9

Vacant

District 10

Phil King (R)

District 11

Mayes Middleton (R)

District 12

Tan Parker (R)

District 13

Borris Miles (D)

District 14

Sarah Eckhardt (D)

District 15

Molly Cook (D)

District 16

Nathan Johnson (D)

District 17

Joan Huffman (R)

District 18

Lois Kolkhorst (R)

District 19

Roland Gutierrez (D)

District 20

Juan Hinojosa (D)

District 21

Judith Zaffirini (D)

District 22

Brian Birdwell (R)

District 23

Royce West (D)

District 24

Peter Flores (R)

District 25

Donna Campbell (R)

District 26

José Menéndez (D)

District 27

Adam Hinojosa (R)

District 28

Charles Perry (R)

District 29

César Blanco (D)

District 30

Brent Hagenbuch (R)

District 31

Kevin Sparks (R)

Republican Party (19)

Democratic Party (11)

Vacancies (1)