University of Texas School of Law
Where was Pete Gallego educated in Jul 1982?
Pete Gallego Pete Peña Gallego ( born December 2 , 1961 ) is an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S . Representative for Texass 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 . Gallego defeated freshman incumbent Quico Canseco of San Antonio for Texass 23rd congressional district seat in the November 6 , 2012 , general election . Canseco conceded the race on November 9 . Gallego ran for re-election in 2014 , in what the Texas Tribune called the only obviously competitive November congressional race in Texas . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . Gallegos 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 . U.S . House of Representatives . Elections . - 2012 Gallego announced his candidacy for the 23rd district in September 2011 . 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 Clintons endorsement . He then defeated Rodriguez in the July 31 runoff election by a margin of 55-45 percent . During the course of his campaign , Gallego overhauled his campaign staff four times . In the general election , Gallego defeated Canseco with 50 percent of the vote to Cansecos 46 percent , a margin of 9,200 votes . While Gallego lost in Bexar County , home to more than half the districts 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 . Gallego was supported by the Blue Dog Coalition . - 2014 Gallego ran for re-election in 2014 . Facing no opposition from his own party , he won the Democratic primary on March 4 , 2014 . He faced Republican Will Hurd , an African American , in the general election . Gallego was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees 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 . - 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 . On September 1 , Gallego announced that he would not run in the 23rd district . Committee assignments . - Committee on Agriculture - Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management - Subcommittee on Livestock , Rural Development , and Credit - Committee on Armed Services - Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces - Subcommittee on Readiness 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 . On September 18 , Gallego was defeated in the runoff election ; Flores received 53% of the vote , while Gallego received 47% . Political positions . Healthcare . Gallego opposes repeal of the Affordable Care Act and voted against repeal in May 2013 . Gallegos support for the Affordable Care Act has been attacked in advertisements by the Libre Initiative , a conservative Hispanic outreach group . Gallego opposes a Medicare voucher system and says that he supports Medicaid expansion and prescription drug negotiations . 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 . 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 dont really care where the idea comes from . They want action , they want something to happen , and theyre tired of the prolonged conversation . Gallego has expressed support for President Obamas immigration policies . He supports the DREAM Act . 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 . Energy . Gallego has been supported by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters . According to Texas Climate News , Gallegos 2012 congressional victory earned the celebratory attention of climate-action advocates . Gallego has voiced support for renewable and clean energy sources . The Sierra Club called Gallego a clean energy champion . Mother Jones included Gallego in a list of the Top Five Climate Hawks who were elected to office in November 2012 . 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 . He will face challenges of declining enrollment and naming controversy as the university he now heads is named for a Confederate General . Personal life . Born in Alpine , Gallego graduated from Sul Ross State University in 1982 with a bachelors degree in political science . In 1985 , he earned a J.D . from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin . In 2012 , Gallego began drawing pension benefits from the state of Texas in addition to his annual congressional salary of $174,000 .