Pete Gallego

Pete Peña Gallego (born December 2, 1961) is an American politician who was the U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district from 2013 to 2015. Gallego, a member of the Democratic Party, previously served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 74th district beginning in 1991.

Pete Gallego
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 23rd district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byQuico Canseco
Succeeded byWill Hurd
Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
In office
January 8, 1991 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byDudley Harrison
Succeeded byPoncho Nevárez
Constituency74th district (1993-2013)
68th district (1991-1993)
Personal details
Born
Pete Peña Gallego

(1961-12-02) December 2, 1961
Alpine, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Maria Elena Ramon
ResidenceAlpine, Texas
EducationSul Ross State University (BA)
University of Texas at Austin (JD)
ProfessionAttorney

Gallego defeated freshman incumbent Quico Canseco of San Antonio for Texas's 23rd congressional district seat in the November 6, 2012, general election. Canseco conceded the race on November 9.[1] Gallego ran for re-election in 2014, in what the Texas Tribune called the "only obviously competitive November congressional race" in Texas.[2] He was defeated by challenger Republican Will Hurd on November 4, 2014. In 2016 he ran for Congress once more in the 23rd district, losing to Hurd a second time.[3] In 2018, Gallego ran in a special election for the Texas State Senate District 19, losing to Republican Pete Flores.

Early career

After graduating from law school, Gallego became an assistant in the office of the state attorney general, before he returned to his hometown of Alpine to become a prosecutor. He was also an attorney at the law firm Brown McCarroll LLP, with an office in Austin.[4][5]

State legislature

Elected to the Texas House from District 74 in 1990, Gallego was the first Hispanic to represent this vast border district. In 1991, he became the first freshman member and the first ethnic minority member ever elected as chair of the House Democratic Caucus, a post he held until January 2001.[4]

In the Texas House, Gallego served on the board of directors of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), and four terms as Chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), a caucus of Texas representatives who are of Mexican-American descent or who serve a significant Mexican-American constituency. In 2008, Trey Martinez Fischer replaced Gallego as Chairman of MALC.[4][6]

Gallego's state legislative career included chairmanships of the General Investigating Committee and several select and subcommittees. He has also served as a member of the Committees on Appropriations, Calendars, Criminal Jurisprudence, Higher Education, and Elections.

In 2008, Gallego narrowly missed being elected Speaker of the Texas House.[7]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections
2012
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 23

Gallego announced his candidacy for the 23rd district in September 2011.[8] His state house district was virtually coextensive with the central portion of the congressional district; indeed, he had represented almost all of the central portion of the congressional district at one time or another during his two decades in the state legislature.

He finished second in the Democratic primary, behind former congressman Ciro Rodriguez, who had received Bill Clinton's endorsement. He then defeated Rodriguez in the July 31 runoff election by a margin of 55-45 percent.[9][10] During the course of his campaign, Gallego overhauled his campaign staff four times.[11]

In the general election, Gallego defeated Canseco with 50 percent of the vote to Canseco's 46 percent, a margin of 9,200 votes. While Gallego lost in Bexar County, home to more than half the district's population, he dominated his former state house district. The campaign between Gallego and Canseco was contentious, with Gallego alleging that Canseco was a "right-wing extremist," and Canseco calling Gallego a "radical environmentalist."[11][12]

Gallego was supported by the Blue Dog Coalition.[13][14]

2014
See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas § District 23

Gallego ran for re-election in 2014. Facing no opposition from his own party, he won the Democratic primary on March 4, 2014.[15][16] He faced Republican Will Hurd, an African American, in the general election.[17] Gallego was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Frontline Program. The program is designed to help protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents. He lost his bid for re-election to Republican Will Hurd by less than 2,500 votes.[18]

2018

In July 2017, Gallego tested the waters as a potential 2018 candidate once more against Hurd. Reapportionment of the district could play a major role as to whether Gallego decided to enter the race. At least two other Democrats also considered running for their party nomination: Judith Canales, a former officer of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development from Eagle Pass, and Jay Hulings, a graduate of Harvard Law School and an assistant U.S. attorney in San Antonio.[19] On September 1, Gallego announced that he would not run in the 23rd district.[20]

Committee assignments

Texas State Senate

In June 2018, a special election was triggered in Texas State Senate District 19 after incumbent Carlos Uresti resigned. After an initial eight-way race and election on July 31, in which no candidate received 50% of the vote, a runoff election was set between the top two candidates, Gallego and Republican Pete Flores.[21] On September 18, Gallego was defeated in the runoff election; Flores received 53% of the vote, while Gallego received 47%.[22][23]

Political positions

Healthcare

Gallego opposes repeal of the Affordable Care Act and voted against repeal in May 2013.[24][25][26] Gallego's support for the Affordable Care Act has been attacked in advertisements by the Libre Initiative, a conservative Hispanic outreach group.[27][28]

Gallego opposes a Medicare voucher system[29] and says that he supports Medicaid expansion and prescription drug negotiations.[30]

Abortion

Gallego supported an abortion law allowing minors to get an abortion with parental consent. Under the legislation a minor would have been able to bypass the requirement for parental consent by petitioning a judge.[5][31]

Immigration

Gallego has said that border security and immigration reform are two separate issues. He advocates improved "worker accountability programs, using border security as an economic tool and aiding the current 11 million undocumented individuals in a path to citizenship", writing with several others in an opinion piece in the El Paso Times that, "We can no longer delay immigration reform. The time to move forward is now." Gallego has said "Most people don't really care where the idea comes from. They want action, they want something to happen, and they're tired of the prolonged conversation." Gallego has expressed support for President Obama's immigration policies. He supports the DREAM Act.[32][33]

In 2014, Gallego invited Speaker of the House John Boehner to the Southern Border to view the humanitarian crisis and discuss the matter with local border patrol agents and community members.[34]

Energy

Gallego has been supported by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.[35] According to Texas Climate News, Gallego's 2012 congressional victory "earned the celebratory attention of climate-action advocates."[36] Gallego has voiced support for renewable and clean energy sources. The Sierra Club called Gallego a "clean energy champion."[37] Mother Jones included Gallego in a list of the "Top Five Climate Hawks" who were elected to office in November 2012.[38]

Sul Ross State

In May 2020 Chancellor Brian McCall announced Gallego as the sole finalist for becoming the 13th president of Sul Ross State (SRSU). In June the regents confirmed him as the next president. He will be the first president to be a SRSU grad.[39] He will face challenges of declining enrollment and naming controversy as the university he now heads is named for a Confederate General.[40][41]

Personal life

Born in Alpine, Gallego graduated from Sul Ross State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 1985, he earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.[4]

In 2012, Gallego began drawing pension benefits from the state of Texas in addition to his annual congressional salary of $174,000.[42][43][44]

See also

References
  1. Martin, Gary (November 9, 2012). "Canseco concedes to Gallego in District 23". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  2. Ramsey, Ross (April 30, 2014). "Analysis: Down the Ballot, Few Races in November". Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  3. "Hurd wins re-election in U.S. 23rd Congressional District race". KSAT. San Antonio. November 9, 2016.
  4. "Pete Gallego (D)". Election 2012. Wall Street Journal.
  5. McClane, Brianna (November 1, 2012). "Texas, 23rd House District". National Journal. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  6. Glazer, Matt (December 9, 2008). "Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) Elects New Leadership". Burnt Orange Report. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  7. Marty Schladen. US Rep. Pete Gallego wants to help fix Congress. El Paso Times, October 21, 2013.
  8. Perry, Mike. Gallego makes it official: He's running for U.S. Congress. Alpine Daily Planet, September 1, 2011.
  9. 2012 Democratic Party Primary Runoff July 31, 2012 Archived November 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Martin, Gary (August 1, 2012). "Gallego beats Rodriguez to challenge Canseco in the fall". MySanAntonio. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. Martin, Gary (August 16, 2012). "Pete Gallego overhauls congressional campaign a fourth time". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  12. Martin, Gary (August 1, 2012). "Gallego starts swinging at Canseco in 23rd congressional race". San Antonio News-Express. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  13. Trujillo, Mario (November 25, 2012). "Blue Dog Democrats fight for relevance". The Hill. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  14. Beard, Sterling (April 22, 2013). "Rep. Gallego enjoys rare status as a new Texas Democrat in the House". The Hill. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  15. "Pete P. Gallego's Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  16. Grissom, Brandi (March 4, 2014). "Liveblog: 2014 Primary Election". Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  17. Delreal, Jose (May 27, 2014). "Will Hurd wins TX-23 rematch against Francisco "Quico" Canseco". Politico. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  18. Isenstadt, Alex (March 4, 2013). "Democrats launching plan for 2014 at-risk members". Politico. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  19. Garcia, Gilbert (July 9, 2017). "Gallego inches toward third run at Congressman Hurd". San Antonio Express-News. p. A2.
  20. Svitek, Patrick (September 1, 2017). "Pete Gallego passes on second bid to reclaim old seat in Congress from Will Hurd". Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  21. Svitek, Patrick (July 31, 2018). "Republican Pete Flores, Democrat Pete Gallego set for runoff for Uresti seat". Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  22. McGuinness, Dylan. Flores defeats Gallego in Senate District 19, San Antonio Express-News, September 19, 2018.
  23. Svitek, Patrick (September 18, 2018). "Republican Pete Flores upsets Democrat Pete Gallego in race for Uresti seat". Texas Tribune. Texas Tribune. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  24. "Gallego on Obamacare, Iran and Taxes". YouTube. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  25. "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 154". House.gov. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  26. Garcia, Gilbert (October 29, 2013). "Gallego's no-win situation on health care law". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  27. Schladen, Marty (February 9, 2014). "Libre Initiative targets Obama's Affordable Care Act". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  28. Pabst, Georgia (February 23, 2014). "Libre Initiative reaches out to Hispanics with free-enterprise message". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  29. Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (September 26, 2014). "Texas congressional candidates debate -- in Spanish". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  30. "Issues: Medicare". Campaign Website. Pete Gallego. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  31. Root, Jay (October 16, 2012). "Gallego: Jesus Would Not Like Political Mailer". Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  32. Sullivan, Alison (February 19, 2013). "Pete Gallego: People want action on immigration reform, not prolonged debate". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  33. Borunda, Daniel (February 2, 2013). "State of the Union: Beto O'Rourke, Pete Gallego cheer immigration reform push". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  34. Dumain, Emma. "Freshman Democrat Invites Speaker to Southwest Border". www.rollcall.com. Roll Call. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  35. Colman, Zack (November 7, 2012). "Green groups tout election results as victory for clean energy". The Hill. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  36. Dawson, Bill (November 24, 2011). "Sandy + election results = re-energized talk of action against climate change". Texas Climate News. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  37. "Impact of the 2012 Elections". Sierra Club. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  38. Sheppard, Katie (November 8, 2012). "5 Climate Hawks Who Won on Tuesday". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  39. https://www.kut.org/post/pete-gallego-takes-over-sul-ross-state-during-transformational-period-higher-education
  40. https://www.oaoa.com/news/education/gallego-takes-reins-at-sul-ross-state/article_9348a3d8-ce9c-11ea-860e-ef168048d120.html
  41. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/columnists/native-texan/article/Have-two-Texas-universities-been-sullied-15387029.php
  42. "Pension Rules to Benefit 10 in Congressional Delegation". Texas Tribune. July 9, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  43. "U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego (D)". Ethics Explorer. Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
  44. "Pension Rules to Benefit 10 in Congressional Delegation". KETK-NBC. July 9, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Quico Canseco		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 23rd congressional district
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2015		 Succeeded by
Will Hurd
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