Isabel Jimenez was born in 1953 in Slanton, Texas. Her family moved to Midland, Texas and she attended De Zavala Elementary (the “Mexican” school), Austin Junior High, and graduated from Midland High School in 1971. Jimenez attended Austin College in Sherman, Texas for one year, then Midland College, and the University of Texas—Permian Basin, which she eventually graduated from in 1987 with a degree in Spanish. Beginning in 1976, Jimenez worked for Southwest Bell. She joined LULAC in the 1970s due to police brutality against Mexican Americans, not wanting her own son to experience such brutality. Jimenez was part of LULAC single member districts at the county, city, school district, and community college levels. Jimenez also participated in the Southwest Voter Registration Project, taught as a bilingual education teacher, and is now a counselor at Midland College.

Luis D. Sánchez was born in Midland, Texas in 1978. His parents originated from the Ojinaga area of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Sánchez grew up in majority-minority, south Midland. He attended Travis Elementary, Long Elementary, Alamo Junior High, and Midland High School. After high school, Sánchez obtained his associates degree, while working two jobs, in government from Midland College in 2000. In 2002 he obtained his bachelors in political since from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. After college, Sánchez worked for the Texas Secretary of State in Austin. When he moved back to Midland, he quickly became involved in local electoral politics, eventually running for office himself in 2003. He is now a city council member representing south Midland.