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Carlos Uresti
| Carlos Uresti | ||
 | ||
| Texas State Senate, District 19 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2007 - Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 10, 2017 | ||
| Years in position | 6 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $7,200/year | |
| Per diem | $150/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | 2006 | |
| Next election | November 8, 2016 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
In addition to his senatorship, Uresti is an attorney in a San Antonio private practice. [1] Prior to his election to the state senate, Uresti was a representative in the Texas House of Representatives from 1997 to 2006. Uresti also served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps.[2]
Uresti graduated with a B.A. in political science from St. Mary's University and also graduated with a J.D. also from St. Mary's University.
District 19
District 19 spans 23 counties and covers 55,000 square miles, making it the largest geographical senate district in the contiguous 48 states. [3]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Uresti served on the following committees:
| Texas Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Administration, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Agriculture, Rural Affairs & Homeland Security, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Health & Human Services | ||||
| • Natural Resources | ||||
| • Transportation | ||||
2010-2011
Uresti served on the following Texas Senate committees:
| Texas Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Administration, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Health & Human Services | ||||
| • Jurisprudence | ||||
| • Natural Resources | ||||
2009-2010
| Texas Committee Assignments, 2009 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Administration, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Vice-chair | ||||
| • Health & Human Services | ||||
| • Natural Resources | ||||
Elections
2012
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2012
Uresti won re-election in the 2012 election for Texas State Senate, District 19. Uresti ran unopposed in the May 29 primary election and defeated Michael Berlanga (R) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[4]
| Texas State Senate, District 19, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Carlos Uresti Incumbent |
59.4% | 122,214 | |
| Republican | Michael Berlanga | 40.6% | 83,522 | |
| Total Votes | 205,736 | |||
2010
- See also: Texas State Senate elections, 2010
Uresti ran for re-election to the 19th District Seat in 2010. He defeated Luis Juarez in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2010. Uresti received 25,969 votes while Juarez received 8,125.[5]Dick Bowen ran for the seat on the Republican ticket.
Uresti defeated Republican candidate Dick Bowen and Libertarian candidate Mette Baker in the general election on November 6, 2012.[6]
| Texas State Senate, District 19 2010 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Carlos Uresti (D)
|
61,327 | 52.13% | ||
| Dick Bowen (R) | 53,024 | 45.08% | ||
| Mette Baker (L) | 3,269 | 2.77% | ||
2006
On Nov. 7, 2006, Uresti won election to the 19th District Seat in the Texas State Senate, defeating opponent Dick Bowen (R).[7]
Uresti raised $71,741,045 for his campaign while Bowen raised $99,113.[8]
| Texas State Senate, District 19 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Carlos Uresti (D)
|
58,876 | 59.17% | ||
| Dick Bowen (R) | 40,621 | 40.82% | ||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
Uresti raised a total of $582,696 in 2010. Below are Uresti's top campaign contributors in the 2010 election:[9]
| Contributor | 2010 total |
|---|---|
| Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas | $20,000 |
| Texas Trial Lawyers Association | $15,000 |
| Texas Association of Realtors | $10,039 |
| 4 separate donors each contributing: | $10,000 |
2006
In 2006, a year in which Uresti was up for election, he collected $1,741,045 in donations. [10]
His four largest contributors in 2006 were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Williams Bailey Law Firm | $250,000 |
| Rene Barrientes | $160,000 |
| Watts Law Frm LLP | $80,000 |
| Waters & Kraus | $75,000 |
Controversies
Uresti was spotlighted by Texas Watchdog in November 2009 for spending taxpayer money on specially hired flights through the Texas Department of Transportation. Uresti spent $15,100 for four flights between January 1, 2008-May 1, 2009.[11]
In the same article, Texas senators Robert Duncan (R) and John Carona (R) were also cited for having racked up large travel reimbursement bills.
Scorecards
Empower Texans Fiscal Responsibility Index
Empower Texans produces the Fiscal Responsibility Index as "a measurement of how lawmakers perform on size and role of government issues." The index uses "exemplar votes on core budget and free enterprise issues that demonstrate legislators' governing philosophy."[12] Legislators are graded along a standard grading scale, receiving grades A through F based on their performance during the legislative session.
2011
Carlos Uresti received a grade of F on the 2011 Fiscal Responsibility Index.
Personal
Uresti's hometown is San Antonio, Texas. He has two children: Michael and Carlos, Jr.
External links
- Carlos Uresti on Texas State Senate Website
- Carlos Uresti official website
- Uresti Law website
- State Senator Carlos Uresti Capitol Update
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2012, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998
- Carlos Uresti on Facebook
References
- ↑ Uresti Law website
- ↑ Carlos Uresti from Project Vote Smart
- ↑ Texas State Senate Carlos Uresti District 19
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State - 2012 Election and Candidate Information
- ↑ 2010 Primary Election Results, Texas
- ↑ Official Texas State Senate Election Results
- ↑ Election Results, Texas State Senate, District 19
- ↑ Election Results, Texas State Senate, District 19
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2010 Campaign contributions
- ↑ 2006 contributions to Carlos Uresti
- ↑ Texas Watchdog, "State senators rack up big bills using charter flights, personal planes", November 5, 2009
- ↑ Empower Texans, "Fiscal Responsibility Index"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Madla |
Texas Senate District 19 2007-present |
Succeeded by NA |
| |||||||||||||||||
- State legislative article missing donor information
- Current member, Texas State Senate
- State senators first elected in 2006
- Texas
- 2010 candidate
- State Senate candidate, 2010
- Democratic Party
- 2010 incumbent
- 2010 winner
- 2012 incumbent
- State Senate candidate, 2012
- 2012 primary (winner)
- 2012 general election (winner)
