Mario Gallegos, Jr.

Mario Gallegos, Jr.
Gallegos in 2012
Member of the Texas Senate from the 6th district
In office 1995–2012
Preceded by	Dan Shelley
Succeeded by	Sylvia Garcia
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 143rd district
In office 1991–1995
Preceded by	Albert Luna, III
Succeeded by	Gerard Torres
Personal details
Born	Mario Valentin Gallegos, Jr. September 8, 1950
Died	October 16, 2012 (aged 62) Houston, Texas
Resting place	Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery Houston, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Houston, Texas
Alma mater	Univ. of Houston–Downtown
Profession	Retired firefighter
Religion	Roman Catholic

Mario Valentin Gallegos, Jr. (September 8, 1950 – October 16, 2012)^[1] was a Democratic politician in the U.S. state of Texas. He was the senator from District 6 in the Texas Senate, which serves a portion of Harris County.

Political career

Gallegos, who originated from the Magnolia Park community of Houston,^[2] was a long-time firefighter with the Houston Fire Department^[3] and retired as a Senior Captain after 22 years of service.^[3] 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.

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.^[4]

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,^[5] 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.^[6] Nevertheless, Gallegos was sworn in as Governor for one day on May 5, 2007, in a Texas tradition honoring the Senate President Pro Term.^[7]

Personal life

Gallegos attended the University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences in 2001.

On March 10, 2006, Gallegos released a statement acknowledging that he was in a one-month residential treatment program for his alcoholism.^[8] On January 11, 2007, Gallegos announced that he was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, and would require a liver transplant,^[9] and on January 19, 2007, Gallegos received a liver transplant at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. His liver donor was 16-year-old Robby Joe Trevino Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas who died unexpectedly from Cardiomyopathy. According to a statement from Gallegos prior to the surgery, he would miss about 18 days of the Regular Session of the 80th Legislature.^[10]

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.^[11]

In October 2012 Gallegos was hospitalized and later died.^[12][13]

Election History

Most recent election

2004

Texas general election, 2004: Senate District 6[14]
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[15]
Candidate		Votes	%	±%
✓	Mario V. Gallegos, Jr.	6,484	53.92
	Yolanda Navarro Flores	5,541	46.07
Turnout		12,025

Previous elections

2002

Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 6[16]
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

1998

Texas general election, 1998: Senate District 6[17]
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

1994

Texas general election, 1994: Senate District 6[18]
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[19]
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[20]
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

1992

Texas general election, 1992: House District 143[21]
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[22]
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

See also

• History of the Mexican-Americans in Houston
• Ninfa Laurenzo
• Rick Noriega
• Ben Reyes
• South Park Mexican
• Felix Tijerina

References

1. Office of the Secretary of State (Texas) (2002-09-13). "State Senate Candidates for 2002 General Election". Retrieved 2006-12-26.
2. Hewitt, Paige. "Celebrating 100 years at Magnolia Park." Houston Chronicle. October 18, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
3. Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr.: District 6 Official State Senate Website
4. Burka, Paul; Patricia Kilday Hart (July 2001). "The Best and Worst Legislators" (subscription required). Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
5. Williams, John (2004-02-06). "Woman's lawsuit accuses Gallegos of emotional abuse". Houston Chronicle. p. A28. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
6. Burka, Paul; Patricia Kilday Hart (July 2005). "The Best and Worst Legislators of 2005" (subscription required). Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2006-03-12.
7. The Texas State Senate: District 6
8. RodrIguez, Lori; Don Mason (2006-03-11). "Gallegos receiving alcoholism treatment". Houston Chronicle. p. B1. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
9. Mack, Kristen (2007-01-12). "Gallegos tells Senate he needs new liver". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
10. Mack, Kristen (2007-01-22). "Gallegos recovering after liver transplant surgery". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
11. "Monkey and other business". The Economist. 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
12. Connelly, Richard. "State Senator Mario Gallegos Hospitalized In "Grave Condition"." Houston Press. Friday October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
13. Holley, Joe. "Mario Gallegos, Senate champion for Hispanics, dies at 62." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday October 16, 2012. Retrieved on October 18, 2012.
14. "2004 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
15. "2004 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
16. "2002 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
17. "1998 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
18. "1994 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
19. "1994 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
20. "1994 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
21. "1992 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.
22. "1992 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-03-13.

External links

• Senate of Texas - Senator Mario Gallegos, Jr.
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Mario V. Gallegos Jr (TX) profile
• Follow the Money - Mario Gallegos Jr
  • 2006 2004 2002 1998 campaign contributions
• Find A Grave Memorial - Mario Valentin Gallegos, Jr