Mario Gallegos
| Mario Gallegos Jr. | |
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Gallegos in 2012
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| Member of the Texas Senate from the 6th district |
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In office 1995–2012 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Shelley |
| Succeeded by | Sylvia Garcia |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 143rd district |
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In office 1991–1995 |
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| 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) 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.
Gallegos, who originated from the Magnolia Park community of Houston, was a long-time firefighter with the Houston Fire Department and retired as a Senior Captain after 22 years of service. 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.
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, 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.
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