During November's local elections, Candice Alcaraz defeated 15-year incumbent Wyandotte County Judge Wes Griffin by an overwhelming majority.
The win made Alcaraz thefirst Black female judge in the history of the county, at just 32 years old. Up until last week, she had been serving as an assistant district attorney.
Alcaraz said she first decided she would run for the position back in 2020.
"I started dating my now-fiancé," Alcaraz remembers, "and I told him, 'This is something that I'm thinking about maybe six, seven, eight, nine, 10 years from now.' And he kind of looked at the landscape and said, 'No, you're doing this now.' And I said, 'OK, honey, well, all right. Well, we'll go for it.'"
The new judge joined Up To Date to discuss her grassroots campaign, what it means to her to take on this new position and her priorities during her judgeship.
- Judge Candice Alcaraz
