Roland Gutierrez (politician)

Roland Gutierrez
Gutierrez in 2012
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 12, 2021
Preceded byPete Flores
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 119th district
In office
May 14, 2008 – January 12, 2021
Preceded byRobert Prenter
Succeeded byElizabeth Campos
Personal details
Born (1970-09-01) September 1, 1970 (age 54)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSarah Gutierrez
Children2
EducationUniversity 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

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

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

2022

Texas General Election, 2022: Texas Senate, District 19[8]
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

Texas General Election, 2020: Texas Senate, District 19[8]
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

Texas General Election, 2018: State Representative District 119[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roland Gutierrez 30,331 100
Democratic hold

2016

Texas General Election, 2016: State Representative District 119[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Roland Gutierrez 33,384 100
Democratic hold

References

  1. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
  2. ^ "Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez enters Democratic primary targeting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024". Texas Tribune. July 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "The Texas State Senate – Senator Roland Gutierrez: District 19". senate.texas.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  4. ^ "Election results 2020: Roland Gutierrez elected to Texas State Senate District 19 seat". November 4, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  5. ^ "Texas State Senate - District 19 Election Results | The Arizona Republic". www.azcentral.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  6. ^ Fanning, Rhonda; Martinez, Glorie G. (2023-01-26). "State Sen. Roland Gutierrez presents bills related to Uvalde shooting". TPR. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b "Texas State Senate District 19". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Texas House of Representatives District 119". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 119th district
2008–2021 		Succeeded by
Elizabeth Campos
Texas Senate
Preceded by Member of the Texas Senate
from the 19th district
2021–present 		Incumbent