Roland Gutierrez (politician)
Roland Gutierrez | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gutierrez in 2012 | |
| Member of the Texas Senate from the 19th district | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Pete Flores |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 119th district | |
| In office May 14, 2008 – January 12, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Prenter |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Campos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1, 1970 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sarah Gutierrez |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Texas, San Antonio (BA) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) |
Roland Gutierrez (born September 1, 1970)[1] is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gutierrez has served as a member of the Texas Senate since 2021, representing District 19. He formerly served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2008 to 2021. On July 10, 2023, Gutierrez announced his candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in Texas, in which he finished second in the Democratic primary.[2]
Education
[edit]Gutierrez is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio where he received a B.A. in Political Science, and St. Mary's University School of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree, also in San Antonio.[3]
Political career
[edit]Gutierrez was first elected to the San Antonio City Council in 2005. During his time on city council, he worked to create safer communities through after school programs, public libraries, and sidewalks. He was then elected into the Texas House of Representatives in 2008. While serving in the House, Gutierrez chaired the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs on appointment from Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, also of San Antonio.
In 2020, Gutierrez ran to represent District 19 Texas Senate against incumbent Republican Pete Flores. On November 3, 2020, Gutierrez defeated Flores, winning with 50% of the vote to 47% for Flores.[4] Gutierrez won re-election in 2022.[5]
As part of the Texas Senate, Gutierrez serves on the Local Government, Veteran Affairs, and the Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs committees.[3]
Gutierrez, whose district encompasses Uvalde, Texas, introduced four gun safety bills following the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.[6] In 2023, some news outlets reported that Gutierrez was likely to run for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 election against incumbent Ted Cruz, and officially announced his intent to do so on July 10, 2023.[7]
Electoral history
[edit]2022
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roland Gutierrez | 117,491 | 55.39 | ||
| Republican | Robert Garza | 94,613 | 44.61 | ||
| Total votes | 212,104 | 100 | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2020
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roland Gutierrez | 158,726 | 49.9 | |
| Republican | Pete Flores (incumbent) | 148,213 | 46.5 | |
| Libertarian | Jo-Anne Valvdivia | 11,465 | 3.6 | |
| Total votes | 318,404 | 100 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2018
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roland Gutierrez | 30,331 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
2016
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roland Gutierrez | 33,384 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
- ^ "Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez enters Democratic primary targeting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024". Texas Tribune. July 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Texas State Senate – Senator Roland Gutierrez: District 19". senate.texas.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ "Election results 2020: Roland Gutierrez elected to Texas State Senate District 19 seat". November 4, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Texas State Senate - District 19 Election Results | The Arizona Republic". www.azcentral.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ Fanning, Rhonda; Martinez, Glorie G. (2023-01-26). "State Sen. Roland Gutierrez presents bills related to Uvalde shooting". TPR. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ Garcia, Gilbert (2023-04-19). "Garcia: Roland Gutierrez likely to challenge Ted Cruz for U.S. Senate". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ a b "Texas State Senate District 19". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Texas House of Representatives District 119". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
External links
[edit]Members of the Texas Senate | ||
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88th Texas Legislature (2023)
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