Fil-Am former Miss Texas running for Texas statehouse

Bishop whose pageant reign ended last July, filed candidacy papers for House District 112. YOUTUBE

Politically outspoken Averie Bishop, the first Asian American and Filipina to earn the Miss Texas title, is running to unseat a longtime Republican in the Texas statehouse.

A staunch opponent of ultraconservative Texas policies, Bishop whose pageant reign ended last July, filed candidacy papers for House District 112.

In a TikTok video posted Tuesday, she said, “We just need more normal people to run for office: people who have student loans, like myself; people who are living month-to-month, for example; people who are teachers. We need normal people to run so that we can change the system from within.”

You may like: Fil-Am Miss Texas pushing back on state’s right-wing officials

Bishop’s viral TikTok videos express her liberal takes on diversity, reproductive rights and gay marriage. She has 83,600 followers on Instagram; 841,700 on TikTok and 66,300 YouTube subscribers, according to the Washington Post.

Bishop, 26, must win the Democratic primary before she can challenge Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button who has held the seat since 2009.

Should Bishop prevail in the Democratic primary, she’ll square off against the conservative incumbent, who’s served in the lower chamber since 2009.

Averie Bishop with mom, Marevi. TULONG FOUNDATION

She earned her law degree at Southern Methodist University law school, was Miss Dallas, and interned for Houston Democrat U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Bishop is part of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s Anti-Hate Advisory Council.