Rick Noriega
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Rick Noriega
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Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 145th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1998 |
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| Born | January 8, 1958 |
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| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Melissa |
| Residence | Houston, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of Houston, Harvard University |
| Religion | Christian[1] |
Richard Joel "Rick" Noriega (born January 8, 1958) is a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 145 in eastern Houston, first elected in 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for the Texas United States Senate election, 2008 against the one-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn.[2] Noriega is married to Melissa Noriega, a member of the Houston City Council, a nominally nonpartisan position. The couple have two sons.
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[edit] Early life and education
Noriega was born and raised in Houston.[3] After graduating from high school and joining the United States Army, Noriega graduated from the University of Houston in 1984 and from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1990.
[edit] Military service
Noriega joined the United States Army in 1979 in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis. He became a Lt. Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard, and most recently served in the Afghanistan War that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On his return from Afghanistan, Mayor Bill White requested that Noriega command the evacuee shelter operation at the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, where he oversaw thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
[edit] Public service
Noriega was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1998 and has since served five terms. He currently acts as the Budget and Oversight Chair of the Defense Affairs and State-Federal Relations Committee. Rick also sits on the Appropriations Committee.
[edit] 2008 U.S. Senate campaign
Noriega narrowly avoided a runoff election by receiving 51 percent of the vote in the March 4, 2008 Democratic primary. His opponents were Gene Kelly (a perennial candidate), Ray McMurrey, and Rhett Smith. Prior to the filing deadline, trial attorney Mikal Watts withdrew from his bid for the Democratic nomination on October 23, 2007.[4] Noriega faced Republican incumbent John Cornyn, who outraised him financially and who received 81 percent of the vote in the Republican primary, in the November 4 general election.[5] Noriega was ultimately defeated by Cornyn in the general election.
[edit] Election Results
[edit] 2006 State House 145
| 2006 State House 145, General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 7,773 | 100.00% | +0.00% | |
| 2006 State House 145, Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 784 | 100.00% | +0.00% | |
[edit] 2004 State House 145
| 2004 State House 145, General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 15,160 | 100.00% | +0.00% | |
| 2004 State House 145, Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 2,044 | 100.00% | +0.00% | |
[edit] 2002 State House 145
| 2002 State House 145, General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 11,087 | 100.00% | +28.57% | |
| 2002 State House 145, Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 3,315 | 100.00% | +0.00% | |
[edit] 2000 State House 145
| 2000 State House 145, General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 12,158 | 71.43% | +4.31% | |
| Republican | Michael Bunch | 4,863 | 28.57% | -4.31% | |
| 2000 State House 145, Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 1,381 | 100.00% | +40.93% | |
[edit] 1998 State House 145
| 1998 State House 145, General Election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 6,405 | 67.12% | ||
| Republican | Michael Bunch | 3,137 | 32.88% | ||
| 1998 State House 145, Democratic Primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Rick Noriega | 1,192 | 59.07% | ||
| Democratic | Ben Mendez | 488 | 24.18% | ||
| Democratic | John Ray Harrison | 213 | 10.56% | ||
| Democratic | Jamie Bray | 95 | 4.71% | ||
| Democratic | Mark Sandoval | 30 | 1.49% | ||
[edit] Issues
[edit] Economy
Noriega has proposed a comprehensive plan to help struggling families keep their homes during the 2008 economic downturn, focusing on revamping bankruptcy law, increased funding of counseling for struggling homeowners, and a tax credit of $2000 for homeowners who refinance into a fixed-rate loan. He also proposes funding to allow homeowners to refinance into FHA (Federal Housing Administration) backed loans, which generally provide lower rates of interest than private commercial loans.
[edit] Domestic security and immigration
Noriega served the National Guard as commander of the Laredo sector during Operation Jump Start, which deployed approximately 18,000 Guardsmen to the US/Mexico border in 2006 to provide increased border security until an improved immigration reform package could be approved on Capitol Hill. Noriega has focused on curtailing human trafficking and drug smuggling at the border, and is calling for more advanced surveillance technology to be deployed at the border as well as for more Guardsmen to be deployed there. Noriega opposes the use of a border fence to curb illegal immigration and trafficking.[6]
Noriega also authored HB 2546, a bill passed by the Texas legislature that restricts the sale of ammonium nitrate in order to prevent its use in criminal or terrorist activity such as the Oklahoma City bombing.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ "Rick Noriega for Texas - About".
- ^ Noriega avoids runoff in Senate bid; Cornyn wins easily Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News, March 5, 2008
- ^ Rick Noriega Profile Houston Chronicle
- ^ Statement from Mikal Watts October 23, 2007
- ^ "Survey USA TX Jr Sen Approval". Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ Senate candidate Noriega lays out immigration plan Texarkana Gazette, August 7, 2008
- ^ H.B. No. 2546 Texas State Legislature
[edit] External links
- Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate official campaign website
- Biography from the Texas House of Representatives
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Rick Noriega at the Open Directory Project
