Port of Corpus Christi Authority Commissioner Barbara Canales has turned to allies in San Antonio's energy sector and business community as part of her bid to become Nueces County judge.
A few hours after eating lunch with Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Canales held a Wednesday evening fundraiser at the Quarry Golf Club drawing supporters from Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO), engineering firm Raba-Kistner Inc. and law firm Bracewell LLP, among other companies.
Although Canales is running unopposed in the Democratic Party primaries, she is expected to face Republican Mike Pusley in the November general election. The two are vying for a seat vacated by Republican Loyd Neal, who held the Nueces County judge seat for 12 years and announced last year that he would not seek re-election.
With five years of service at the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, Canales hopes that her regional approach to economic development and strong friendships with people in San Antonio's energy sector and business community will translate into votes as a pro-business and pro-energy Democrat.
"The best thing that happened to me was when I decided to apply for an open seat at the Port of Corpus Christi," Canales told supporters. "That experience over the last five years has opened my eyes to what it means to live our mission statement of leveraging our assets to drive economic prosperity and to become the energy port of the Americas."
In addition to plans to build a new harbor bridge and deepen the shipping channel, Canales said the Eagle Ford Shale boom has brought pipeline and storage terminal projects to Port Corpus Christi while cheap and abundant natural gas has drawn nearly $60 billion of private investment from global manufacturers. Meanwhile, the rise of renewables has also made Port Corpus Christi a logistics hub for the wind energy industry. Canales said all those changes were driven by leadership and by being in the right place at the right time.
"I see all kinds of exciting projects, but all they need is an advocate," she said.
Canales, a petroleum engineer-turned-lawyer, is no stranger to business events and conferences in the Alamo City. Viewing Corpus Christi, Laredo and San Antonio as three points of a triangle, she believes that the Nueces County judge is critical seat in driving regional economic growth.
"This is the gateway of the future for energy exports to Latin America," Canales told the Business Journal. "Most people understand that we're a great trading partner with Mexico, but what they don't often recognize is that we could be even greater in the future in the energy markets."
Canales' message resonated with Eagle Ford Consortium Chairman Leodoro Martinez, who attended the Wednesday evening event.
"Just look at the impact in what she's participated in from a regional perspective," Martinez said. "You couldn't have a better candidate for county judge to lead the county when things are about to change in Nueces County."
San Antonio-based energy and logistics consultant Jorge Canavati told the Business Journal that Canales understands the importance that companies from the Alamo City have in the Corpus Christi region and that as Nueces County judge, she will support the development of even more mutually-beneficial projects.
"We know that our regional partnerships between San Antonio and the county are the largest suppliers of fuel to Mexico and other parts of the world," Canavati said. "Her vision is very important."
There were some attendees at Canales' fundraiser who view her candidacy less through an economic lens and more through a political one.
San Antonio-based lawyer Mikal Watts, a Corpus Christi native, told the Business Journal that pro-business Democrats like Canales will be critical in turning the Lone Star State from red to blue.
"The real reason why I'm here is that she's going to be good for Texas in four or eight years," Watts said. "The Democratic Party is going to take over the state of Texas, and I can think of no talent greater than Barbara Canales. I believe that she's a future governor of the state of Texas."