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How do we get people to trust the police? Texas gubernatorial candidate and LGBT trailblazer Lupe Valdez has some ideas

"I took over a department that was pretty much a good ol' boys' club... if you were a minority and you were arrested, you were going to get a beating."

It’s an uphill battle for Lupe Valdez, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Texas, a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in nearly half a century.

But Valdez is used to uphill battles — she’s the state’s first openly gay and first Latina sheriff. Valdez joined NBC News THINK, NBC OUT and NBC LATINO to talk about a range of issues including healthcare, the importance of fostering trust between members of law enforcement and the community and the challenges of running as a Democrat in a conservative state like Texas.

Watch the full interview with Valdez above.