Mario Gallegos, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mario Gallegos, Jr. | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Shelley |
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| Born | September 8, 1950 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Profession | Retired firefighter |
Mario Valentin Gallegos, Jr. (born 8 September 1950)[1] is a Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Texas. He is the current senator from District 6 in the Texas Senate, which serves a portion of Harris County.
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[edit] Political career
Gallegos was a long-time firefighter with the Houston Fire Department and retired as a Senior Dispatcher after 22 years of service. He received a B.A. from the University of Houston.[citation needed] In 1990, he was elected to the 72nd Legislature in the Texas House of Representatives from District 143, where he served two terms, from 1991 to 1995.
In 1994, Representatives Gallegos and Yolanda Navarro Flores and former Representative Roman O. Martinez squared off in the Democratic primary for a recently redrawn Senate District 6. Martinez received a plurality of the votes and faced Gallegos in a runoff. Gallegos secured the endorsement of former opponent Flores and won, and with no other candidates for the Senate seat, Gallegos became the first Mexican American elected to that body from Harris County.[citation needed]
Gallegos faced no opposition in 1998 and was reelected to the Senate. In July 2001, Gallegos was named one of the worst legislators in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine in their biennial feature. The authors noted that Gallegos was “a retired firefighter who threw gasoline on every combustible issue,” and noted his penchant for injecting race into seemingly innocuous legislation.[2]
Gallegos was unopposed in 2002, but in 2004, Gallegos was again challenged by Yolanda Navarro Flores in the Democratic primary. Amidst two separate lawsuits challenging his residency within District 6 boundaries, and revelations (and another lawsuit) regarding a 17-year affair with former stripper Susan Delgado,[3] Gallegos won a close contest. In the 2004 general election, he faced Libertarian challenger Tony Deppenschmidt along with a write-in challenge from his former mistress, Delgado. Gallegos won handily with over 90% of the votes.
In July 2005, Gallegos was again named one of the worst legislators in Texas by Texas Monthly.[4] Nevertheless, Gallegos was sworn in as Governor for one day on May 5th, 2007, in a Texas tradition honoring the Senate President Pro Tem.[5]
[edit] Personal life and health problems
On 10 March 2006, Gallegos released a statement acknowledging that he was in a one-month residential treatment program for his alcoholism.[6] On 11 January 2007, Gallegos announced that he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, and would require a liver transplant,[7] and on 19 January 2007, Gallegos received a liver transplant at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. According to a statement from Gallegos prior to the surgery, he will miss about 18 days of the Regular Session of the 80th Legislature.[8]
Gallegos installed a hospital bed in the office of the sergeant-at-arms at the capitol building so that he could be nearby to prevent discussion of a bill requiring voter identification, against doctors' orders.[9]
[edit] Election History
[edit] Most recent election
[edit] 2004
| Texas general election, 2004: Senate District 6[10] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 75,318 | 91.74 | -8.24 | |
| Libertarian | Tony Deppenschmidt | 6,614 | 8.05 | +8.05 | |
| Write-In | Susan Delgado | 160 | 0.19 | +0.19 | |
| Majority | 68,704 | 83.69 | -16.31 | ||
| Turnout | 82,092 | +51.65 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Democratic primary, 2004: Senate District 6[11] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| ✓ | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 6,484 | 53.92 | |
| Yolanda Navarro Flores | 5,541 | 46.07 | ||
| Turnout | 12,025 | |||
[edit] Previous elections
[edit] 2002
| Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 6[12] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 54,130 | 100.00 | 0.00 | |
| Majority | 54,130 | 100.00 | +43.41 | ||
| Turnout | 54,130 | +43.41 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
[edit] 1998
| Texas general election, 1998: Senate District 6[13] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 37,746 | 100.00 | 0.00 | |
| Majority | 37,746 | 100.00 | -2.59 | ||
| Turnout | 37,746 | -2.59 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
[edit] 1994
| Texas general election, 1994: Senate District 6[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 38,749 | 100.00 | +57.52 | |
| Majority | 38,749 | 100.00 | +69.20 | ||
| Turnout | 38,749 | -74.55 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Democratic primary runoff, 1994: Senate District 6[15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| ✓ | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 9,613 | 57.19 | |
| Roman O. Martinez | 7,193 | 42.80 | ||
| Turnout | 16,806 | |||
| Democratic primary, 1994: Senate District 6[16] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| ✓ | Roman O. Martinez | 9,026 | 37.91 | |
| ✓ | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 5,990 | 25.15 | |
| Yolanda Navarro Flores | 4,936 | 20.73 | ||
| David Thomas McCullough | 3,857 | 16.19 | ||
| Turnout | 23,809 | |||
[edit] 1992
| Texas general election, 1992: House District 143[17] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 15,939 | 100.00 | ||
| Majority | 15,939 | 100.00 | |||
| Turnout | 15,939 | ||||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Democratic primary, 1992: House District 143[18] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| ✓ | Mario V. Gallegos, Jr. | 4,732 | 59.75 | |
| Don Jones | 1,874 | 23.66 | ||
| R.J. 'Reggie' Gonzales | 1,313 | 16.58 | ||
| Turnout | 7,919 | |||
[edit] References
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State (Texas) (2002-09-13). State Senate Candidates for 2002 General Election. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- ^ Burka, Paul; and Patricia Kilday Hart. "The Best and Worst Legislators" (subscription required), Texas Monthly, 2001-07. Retrieved on 2006-03-12.
- ^ Williams, John. "Woman's lawsuit accuses Gallegos of emotional abuse", Houston Chronicle, 2004-02-06, p. A28. Retrieved on 2006-03-12.
- ^ Burka, Paul; and Patricia Kilday Hart. "The Best and Worst Legislators of 2005" (subscription required), Texas Monthly, 2005-07. Retrieved on 2006-03-12.
- ^ The Texas State Senate: District 6
- ^ RodrIguez, Lori; and Don Mason. "Gallegos receiving alcoholism treatment", Houston Chronicle, 2006-03-11, p. B1. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
- ^ Mack, Kristen. "Gallegos tells Senate he needs new liver", Houston Chronicle, 2007-01-12. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
- ^ Mack, Kristen. "Gallegos recovering after liver transplant surgery", Houston Chronicle, 2007-01-22. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ "Monkey and other business", The Economist, 2007-05-31. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ 2004 General Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 2004 Democratic Party Primary Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 2002 General Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1998 General Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1994 General Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1994 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1994 Democratic Party Primary Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1992 General Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
- ^ 1992 Democratic Party Primary Election. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved on 2006-03-13.
[edit] External links
- Senate of Texas - Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr. official TX Senate website
- Mario Gallegos, Jr. official campaign website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Mario V. Gallegos Jr (TX) profile
- Follow the Money - Mario Gallegos Jr
| Preceded by Albert Luna, III |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 143 (Houston) 1991–1995 |
Succeeded by Gerard Torres |
| Preceded by Dan Shelley |
Texas State Senator from District 6 (Houston)(1) 1995 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Royce West |
President pro tempore of the Texas Senate 9 January 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. For the 74th through the 77th, Gallegos’ home city was Galena Park | ||
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mario Valentin Gallegos, Jr. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Houston, Texas politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 8 September 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Harris County, Texas |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
