Cardenas grew up on San Antonio's Southside and took over his family's business after his brother died, later building it into Vertex Concrete, a company that's served the district for over a decade.
He's making his first run for office, challenging incumbent Sen. Roland Gutierrez after winning a Republican runoff.
Cardenas’s take on Texas values
Cardenas supports Education Savings Accounts (school vouchers) with added transparency and accountability, while also calling for more public school funding and higher teacher pay. [The Texan interview; marcusfortexas.com]