Richard Raymond (Texas politician)

Richard Peña Raymond
Texas State Representative from District 42 (Webb County)
Incumbent
Assumed office
2001
Preceded by Henry R. Cuellar
Texas State Representative from District 44
In office
1993–1999
Personal details
Born October 27, 1960
Alice, Jim Wells County
Texas, USA
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Michelle Yvonne Gould Raymond (married 1994)
Relations Joe Rubio, Jr. (cousin)
Children Aren, Eva, and Ryan Raymond
Parents Gabriel Charles, Sr., and Evelia Peña Raymond
Residence Laredo, Webb County, Texas
Alma mater University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas School of Law

Occupation Lawyer
Religion Roman Catholic

Richard Peña Raymond (born October 27, 1960) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 42, which encompasses western Webb County and includes most of the city of Laredo. He is vice-chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and also sits on the Border Affairs and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

Background

Raymond was born Richard Edward Raymond to Gabriel Charles Raymond, Sr. (1936-1998), and the former Evelia Pena (born 1935) in Alice, the county seat of Jim Wells County.[1] He was reared in Benavides in Duval County. He has an older brother, Gabriel Raymond, Jr. (born 1959). He graduated from Benavides High School and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in government with a minor in history. Raymond then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.

Intelius.com lists Raymond, his mother, and his wife, the former Michelle Yvonne Gould (born September 19, 1969), as former residents of Skykomish in King County, Washington. The dates are unclear, as Raymond was back in Texas in 1992 to run for the legislature, and he did not marry until 1994.[2] The couple wed in Austin and has three children: Aren, Eva, and Ryan Raymond.

Political life

In 1992, Raymond was elected to the House from District 44, when he was residing in Benavides. He left the House temporarily after three terms. In 1998, he instead challenged the Republican nominee for Commissioner of the General Land Office, David Dewhurst of Houston. In the general election, Dewhurst easily prevailed for the right to succeed Democratic Land Commissioner Garry Mauro of Bryan, who instead ran for governor of Texas that year against George W. Bush.

On the day of the inauguration of George W. Bush as U.S. President, Raymond won a special election in Webb County to succeed Henry R. Cuellar in the state House of Representatives. Cuellar had stepped down and briefly served as Texas Secretary of State under the new governor, Rick Perry. Raymond defeated a multi-candidate field of Democrats, including Carlos Ygnacio "C.Y." Benavides, III, a Laredo-area businessman, who thereafter in 2006 ran unsuccessfully for Webb County judge against Danny Valdez.

In 2006, Raymond fell .07 percent plus one vote short of an outright victory in the Democratic primary. He finished first with 11,806 votes (49.8 percent); his chief opponent Mercurio Martinez, a former county judge of Webb County, trailed with 7,650 (32.3 percent). Two other contenders held the remaining 17.9 percent of the vote.[3] In the runoff in April 2006, Raymond prevailed, 8,828 votes (57.8 percent) to Martinez's 6,456 (42.2 percent).[4]

Raymond is considered a strongly partisan Democrat. He filed the lawsuit opposing the 2003 congressional redistricting plan adopted by the states' Republican majority. In 2006, the United States Supreme Court, with the Ronald W. Reagan appointee Justice Anthony Kennedy providing the swing vote, ordered changes in the plan which proved favorable to Texas Democrats in the mid-term elections.

In 2007, Raymond participated unsuccessfully in a coup attempt against Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Tom Craddick, a Midland Republican. During the opening session of 2007, Raymond was the only member who rose to ask fellow members to vote against Craddick, even though Craddick had no opponent. The refrain "Prove Me Wrong, Mr. Speaker," used by Raymond during this critical speech, was then repeated during the rest of the session, as opposition continued to build against Craddick. Twenty-six other members joined Raymond in voting against Craddick, but by the end of the session a majority agreed with Raymond.

At the beginning of the 2009 Session, Raymond and others finally succeeded in toppling Craddick by maneuvering the election of Representative Joe Straus, a Moderate Republican from San Antonio, as the still-serving Speaker of the House.

In February 2009, Speaker Straus named Raymond vice-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, making him one of the most influential Democrats in the chamber. Raymond was also named a member of the House Committee on Border Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations.

In 2013, Raymond voted against House-passed legislation which would prohibit abortions in Texas past twenty weeks of gestation, require physicians performing abortions to have admitting privileges at local hospitals, require that the abortions be performed in surgical centers, and require monitoring of abortions. Opponents of the measure claimed it would shut down abortion clinics throughout Texas and place an "undue burden" on women seeking to end their pregnancy.[5]

In 2015, Raymond announced that he will re-introduce a bill with a companion state constitutional amendment to permit voter enactment at the local level of eight-liner slot machines. Current policy permits establishments with eight-liners to offer only prizes of no greater than $5 to the winners of the games. His measure would enable the state to regulate such games. A Laredo city council member, Charlie San Miguel, said he does not oppose Raymond's measure but fears an expansion of gambling "leads to addiction in some cases, leaving [some] unable to provide for their needs ..." San Miguel said Raymond's bill should also provide a "support network" for those inclined toward abuse of gambling.[6]

Election history

Most recent election

2006

Texas general election, 2006: House District 42[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 12,787 100.00
Majority 12,787 100.00 -52.86
Turnout 12,787 -52.86
Democratic hold

Previous elections

2006

Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election, 2006: House District 42[8]
Candidate Votes % ±%
Mercurio Martinez, Jr. 6,456 42.24
✓ Richard Raymond 8,828 57.76
Turnout 15,284
Democratic Party Primary Election, 2006: House District 42[9]
Candidate Votes % ±%
✓ Mercurio Martinez, Jr. 7,650 32.89
Sergio Mora 3,048 12.87
Jose “Rudy” Ochoa 1,184 5.00
✓ Richard Raymond 11,806 49.84
Turnout 23,688

2004

Texas general election, 2004: House District 42[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 27,123 100.00 0.00
Majority 27,123 100.00 +0.60
Turnout 27,123 +0.60
Democratic hold

2002

Texas general election, 2002: House District 42[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 26,961 100.00 0.00
Majority 26,961 100.00 +16.77
Turnout 26,961 +16.77
Democratic hold

2001

Special Election, 20 January 2001: House District 42, Unexpired[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Carlos Ygnacio “Cy” Benavides 2,409 18.63
Democratic Javier H. Martinez, Jr. 1,743 13.48
Democratic Maria Elena Morales 1,676 12.96
Democratic Richard Raymond 7,090 54.83
Write-In Mickey Mouse 1 0.01
Write-In None of the Above 1 0.01
Write-In George Bush 1 0.01
Write-In Donald Duck 1 0.01
Write-In Jerry Garza 1 0.01
Write-In Joe Guerra 1 0.01
Write-In Mike Kazen 3 0.02
Write-In Richard Raymond 2 0.02
Write-In L.A. Tadro 1 0.01
Majority 26,961 100.00
Turnout 12,930
Democratic hold

1998

Texas general election, 1998: Land Commissioner[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican David Dewhurst 2,072,604 57.42 +10.22
Democratic Richard Raymond 1,438,378 39.85 -10.34
Libertarian J. Manuel “Monte” Montez 98,321 2.72 +0.12
Majority 634,226 17.57 +510.04
Turnout 3,609,303 -13.29
Republican gain from Democratic

1996

Texas general election, 1996: House District 44[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 26,942 100.00 0.00
Majority 26,942 100.00
Turnout 26,942 +23.55
Democratic hold

1994

Texas general election, 1994: House District 44[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 21,443 100.00 0.00
Majority 21,443 100.00
Turnout 21,443 -26.50
Democratic hold

1992

Texas general election, 1992: House District 44[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Richard Raymond 29,174 100.00
Majority 29,174 100.00
Turnout 29,174
Democratic hold
Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election, 1992: House District 44[17]
Candidate Votes % ±%
Tom Cate 4,781 31.65
✓ Richard Raymond 10,322 68.35
Turnout 15,103
Democratic Party Primary Election, 1992: House District 44[18]
Candidate Votes % ±%
✓ Tom Cate 9,706 39.83
Alberto T. Martinez 6,714 27.55
✓ Richard Raymond 7,945 32.60
Turnout 24,365

Notes

  1. ↑ "Richard Edward Raymond in the Texas Birth Index". search.ancestry.com. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Michelle Yvonne Raymond". intelius.com. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  3. ↑ "2006 Democratic Party Primary Election: 3/7/2006". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ "2006 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election: 4/11/2006". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Dems hope filibuster will stop changes", Laredo Morning Times, June 25, 2013, p. 1
  6. ↑ Kendra Ablaza, "Bill gets a new try: Raymond refiles 8-liner legislation", Laredo Morning Times, March 16, 2015, pp. 1, 12A
  7. ↑ "2006 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  8. ↑ "2006 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  9. ↑ "2006 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  10. ↑ "2004 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  11. ↑ "2002 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  12. ↑ "Special Election State Representative District 42". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  13. ↑ "1998 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  14. ↑ "1996 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  15. ↑ "1994 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  16. ↑ "1992 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  17. ↑ "1992 Democratic Party Primary Runoff Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.
  18. ↑ "1992 Democratic Party Primary Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). Retrieved 2006-12-18.

References

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
Henry R. Cuellar		 Texas State Representative from District 42 (Webb County)

Richard Peña Raymond
2001–

Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Tom Cate		 Texas State Representative from District 44 (including Duval County)

Richard Peña Raymond
1993–1999

Succeeded by
Ignacio Salinas, Jr.