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Richard Joel "Rick" Noriega (born ca. 1957)[1]is a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 145 in eastern Houston. He is also the Democratic nominee for the Texas United States Senate election, 2008 against the one-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn.[2]Noreiga is married to Melissa Noriega, a member of the Houston City Council, a nominally nonpartisan position. The couple has two sons.
[edit] Early Life and Education
Noriega was raised in Houston. After graduating from high school and joining the Army, Noriega graduated from the University of Houston in 1984 and from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1990.
[edit] Military
Noriega joined the United States Army in 1979 in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis. He became a Lt. Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard, and most recently served in the War in Afghanistan that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On his return from Afghanistan, Mayor Bill White requested that Noriega command the evacuee shelter operation at the George Brown Convention Center, where he oversaw thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
[edit] Public Service
Noriega was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1998 and has since served five terms. He currently acts as the Budget and Oversight Chair of the Defense Affairs and State-Federal Relations Committee. Rick also sits on the Appropriations Committee.
[edit] United States Senate Race
Noriega narrowly avoided a runoff election by receiving 51% of the vote in the March 4, 2008 Democratic Primary. His opponents were Gene Kelly, Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. Prior to the filing deadline, trial attorney Mikal Watts withdraw from his bid for the Democratic nomination on October 23, 2007.[3] Noriega will face the Republican nominee, the incumbent John Cornyn, who has not seen approval ratings above 50% since 2005.[4]
[edit] Election Results
[edit] 2006 State House 145
| 2006 State House 145, General Election |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
7,773 |
100.00% |
+0.00% |
| 2006 State House 145, Democratic Primary |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
784 |
100.00% |
+0.00% |
[edit] 2004 State House 145
| 2004 State House 145, General Election |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
15,160 |
100.00% |
+0.00% |
| 2004 State House 145, Democratic Primary |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
2,044 |
100.00% |
+0.00% |
[edit] 2002 State House 145
| 2002 State House 145, General Election |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
11,087 |
100.00% |
+28.57% |
| 2002 State House 145, Democratic Primary |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
3,315 |
100.00% |
+0.00% |
[edit] 2000 State House 145
| 2000 State House 145, General Election |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
12,158 |
71.43% |
+4.31% |
|
Republican |
Michael Bunch |
4,863 |
28.57% |
-4.31% |
| 2000 State House 145, Democratic Primary |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
1,381 |
100.00% |
+40.93% |
[edit] 1998 State House 145
| 1998 State House 145, General Election |
| Party |
Candidate |
Votes |
% |
±% |
|
Democratic |
Rick Noriega |
6,405 |
67.12% |
|
|
Republican |
Michael Bunch |
3,137 |
32.88% |
|
[edit] References
- ^ http://preview.ussearch.com/preview/newsearch;jsessionid=C3FADD31C48FDEFF0C2D929F66FB3DE2?searchFName=Richard&searchMName=j&searchLName=noreiga&searchCity=houston&searchState=TX&searchApproxAge=54&adID=10002101&searchtab=people&x=43&y=12
- ^ Noriega avoids runoff in Senate bid; Cornyn wins easily | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Regional News
- ^ Statement from Mikal Watts October 23, 2007
- ^ Survey USA TX Jr Sen Approval. Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
[edit] External links
