Carlos Quintanilla (Texas)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Carlos Quintanilla

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign X

Personal Facebook

Personal YouTube

Carlos Quintanilla (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 33rd Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Biography

Carlos Quintanilla was born in Chicago, Illinois. Quintanilla's career experience includes owning a business. He has been affiliated with Activista Legal and has served as the president of Accion America.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2024

Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)

Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Patrick Gillespie in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 33 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey (D)	68.8	114,289
		Patrick Gillespie (R)	31.2	51,864

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 166,153
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Payton Jackson (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Carlos Quintanilla in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey	68.3	15,313
		Carlos Quintanilla	31.7	7,102

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,415
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Luis Fuentes (D)
• Viktor Avalos (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Patrick Gillespie defeated Kurt L. Schwab in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick Gillespie	61.6	6,144
		Kurt L. Schwab	38.4	3,833

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,977
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Quintanilla in this election.

2022

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Patrick Gillespie and Ken Ashby in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 33 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey (D)	72.0	82,081
		Patrick Gillespie (R)	25.6	29,203
	Submit photo	Ken Ashby (L)	2.4	2,746

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 114,030
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Carlos Quintanilla in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey	69.5	16,806
		Carlos Quintanilla	30.5	7,373

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,179
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Patrick Gillespie defeated Robert MacGlaflin in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Patrick Gillespie	63.5	5,709
		Robert MacGlaflin	36.5	3,284

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,993
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 33

Ken Ashby advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 19, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Ken Ashby (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Fabian Cordova Vasquez, Carlos Quintanilla, Jason Reeves, and Renedria Welton in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 33 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey (D)	66.8	105,317
		Fabian Cordova Vasquez (R)	25.2	39,638
		Carlos Quintanilla (Independent)	5.1	8,071
		Jason Reeves (L)	1.6	2,586
		Renedria Welton (Independent)	1.3	1,994

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 157,606
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Sean Paul Segura in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey	63.6	23,869
		Sean Paul Segura	36.4	13,678

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,547
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Avalos Valencia (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Fabian Cordova Vasquez advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fabian Cordova Vasquez	100.0	7,317

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,317
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rich Helms (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 33

Jason Reeves advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Jason Reeves (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Willie Billups and Jason Reeves in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 33 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey (D)	76.2	90,805
		Willie Billups (R)	21.9	26,120
		Jason Reeves (L)	1.9	2,299

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 119,224
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Incumbent Marc Veasey defeated Carlos Quintanilla in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marc Veasey	70.6	14,998
		Carlos Quintanilla	29.4	6,233

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,231
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33

Willie Billups advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 33 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Willie Billups	100.0	5,254

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,254
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent Marc Veasey (D) defeated M. Mark Mitchell (R) and Roy Carl Stanley (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Veasey defeated Carlos Quintanilla in the Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, while Mitchell defeated Bruce Chadwick to win the Republican nomination.

U.S. House, Texas District 33 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Marc Veasey Incumbent	73.7%	93,147
	Republican	M. Mark Mitchell	26.3%	33,222
Total Votes				126,369
Source: Texas Secretary of State

U.S. House, Texas District 33 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
M. Mark Mitchell	52.4%	6,411
Bruce Chadwick	47.6%	5,831
Total Votes		12,242
Source: Texas Secretary of State

U.S. House, Texas District 33 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Marc Veasey Incumbent	63.4%	20,526
Carlos Quintanilla	36.6%	11,846
Total Votes		32,372
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2012

See also: Texas' 33rd Congressional District elections, 2012

Quintanilla ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Texas' 33rd District. He was defeated by Domingo Garcia and Marc Veasey in the Democratic primary on May 29, 2012.

U.S. House, Texas District 33 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Marc Veasey Incumbent	36.8%	6,938
Domingo Garcia	25%	4,715
Kathleen Hicks	12.6%	2,372
David Alameel	10.9%	2,064
Manuel Valdez	4.7%	884
Steve Salazar	2.6%	482
Chrysta Castaneda	2.1%	395
Jason E. Roberts	1.8%	342
Carlos Quintanilla	1.5%	286
Kyev Tatum, Sr.	1.1%	201
J. R. Molina	1%	189
Total Votes		18,868

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Carlos Quintanilla did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Quintanilla’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Workforce Residents of the 33rd congressional district of Texas are hard working people who deserve support from their government to achieve our constitutional right to pursue happiness. Workplace fulfillment is an essential piece of a pursuit of happiness. Carlos is dedicated to funding job training and continuing education for the district so that every person who wants to improve their quality of life is able to, and anyone struggling to find their place in the workforce is able to. This will not only increase economic development in our communities, it will also reduce crime. Small Businesses The backbone of our economy is small businesses. As a small business owner Carlos understands the need for government to support an economic environment that allows small businesses to flourish. When elected, Carlos will fight for federal economic development funds and tax credits to be directed into the district to help more residents of the 33rd congressional district reach the American dream of being business owners and providing quality jobs within their community. Enterprise Business Big business and jobs are coming to North Texas at an astounding rate, but the 33rd congressional district has been largely overlooked. Carlos is dedicated to working with major companies and local municipalities to ensure that the district participates in the growth happening throughout the region, bringing with it higher paying jobs, and an increase to the local tax base; which can be used to support schools and infrastructure improvements. Veterans Our brave military personnel deserve better care and more funding for preparedness to return to civilian life, which is why Carlos will advocate to increase educational opportunities for our veterans and increase funding for veterans to start small businesses in their communities. Medicare for all Healthcare is a human right. Equitable access to healthcare, specifically preventative care is essential to providing every citizen a decent quality of life. Being sick is expensive,both to the individual and the community-at-large. Carlos supports a national healthcare system that supplements the current healthcare industry, to ensure that no US citizens is burdened with the costs of healthcare and job loss related to illness. Reproductive rights As a man of religious conviction Carlos believes in the sanctity of life, but he also believes in the autonomy of the individual. Carlos believes that the choices a woman makes about her own body,with counsel from her doctor, are private and should not be subject to government intervention. As a first-time father at 16, Carlos was introduced to the reality of how our country lacks comprehensive family planning for all people of reproductive age, which is why he will advocate for increasing access to sex education, birth control and health screenings.	”
—Carlos Quintanilla’s campaign website (2024)

2022

Carlos Quintanilla did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Carlos Quintanilla completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Quintanilla's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an Activist who has been the lead voice on many issues facing residents of the 33rd Congressional District. I led the campaign to save the lives of thousand of Children who were addicted to the killer drug Cheese Heroin. I led the fight to stop Farmers Branch the Anti Immigrant Housing Ordinance proposed by then Mayor Tim O'Hare leading to a successful rejection by the United States Supreme Court. I introduced Breakfast in The Classroom Program that now feeds Children daily in schools throughout the 33rd Congressional District. I am a fighter and will continue to be an Activist Congressman in Washington DC.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will fight for you in Washington as I have done on many issues affecting you and your family here in Texas.
• I will not vote with Republican leadership on issues that severely affect you. Research the Voting Record of our current Congressman.
• I will not take campaign comtributions from special interest, influence peddlers and self interest contribuyors like our current Congressman.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Immigration

Health Care
Education
Employment and Training

Access to Capital for Small Business, Business Development

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the hard working Inmigrant families who have come to America looking for a better life and who through their tenacity and their hope have become great business owners, community builders, respectful residents of their communities and the future of this country.

I look up to the African American Women who have become inspiring political leaders, judges, national leaders and great examples of what women can be and what Women can achieve.

I look up to individuals who have rebounded from the hardships of life and who become viable and productive residents and citizens of this amazing country.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

NO

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Determination, Resonsibility and Commitment.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Leadership

Organizing skills

Public Speaking

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent the best interest of the people in its Congressional District

What legacy would you like to leave?

That through my work and Activism which has been extensive and well documented, I have made life better for many people.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Hearing about the Murder of Martin Luther King and seeing the black smoke of burning buildings coming from Madison Street from the outrage and anger of the Black community of Chicago. I was 11 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Chef Trainee - Marriot Hotel

2 years

Job Developer - SER Jobs For Progress

2 years

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Volver a Creer by JOSE JOSE AND YANNI.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

my past, growing up in the street gangs of Chicago, a criminal conviction and dedicating your life advocating for your community rather than becoming a millionaire. Convincing people to believe in second chances.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It is the house of the people.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

NO.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The hate and racism and the current political climate that exists here in america,Today

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes. I would like to be on the Appropriations Commitee, Education and Labor Commitee, Small Business Commitee and Homeland Security.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

YES

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support term limits. Not sure what the right number of years would be.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

no

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

NONE. I would like to be my own person

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have heard so many stories that there are too long to list.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2016

The following goals were listed on Quintanilla's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	To establish a Vocational Training Program in Oak Cliff. To establish a Vocational Training Program in Fort Worth. To build a state of the art Senior Citizens Center in Oak Cliff. To create a Small Business Loan Program with the interest waived from federal, state and city deposits at a rate of 1 to 3%, five year term up to $25,000. To support and expand drug rehab programs.	”
—Carlos Quintanilla's campaign website, http://quintanilla2016.com/issues/

2012

Quintanilla's campaign website listed the following issues:

• Jobs

Excerpt: "Carlos Quintanilla supports a Comprehensive effort to create jobs, by investing in infrastructure, creating a Summer Jobs Program, Investing in Schools and in Teachers, Building New Roads, Providing Tax Breaks to Small Businesses, and Making Available Small Business Loans to those Businesses that will help create JOBS."

• Healthcare

Excerpt: "Americans need Comprehensive Medical Coverage, one out of five Texans are without Healthcare. We need to make sure that all Texans have access to quality health care"

• Energy

Excerpt: "Energy exploration must be done responsibly and in an efficient manner, simply because we need gas and fuel, we should not give carte blanche to big oil companies like British Petroleum (BP) and Exxon Oil. Big oil and big energy companies must know that I am on the side of alternative fuel development, conserving our eco systems, protecting the way of life of fisherman and promoting Gulf tourism."

• Immigration Reform

Excerpt: "Carlos Quintanilla supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform, with a path to Citizenship, which will include a fine, a thorough criminal background check and assurances that Immigrants will continue to be productive Citizens of the United States, with a caveat that they would be ineligible for government subsidies and or welfare programs."

• Crime

Excerpt: "Carlos Quintanilla was active, engaged, and passionate about fighting the biggest drug epidemic to hit Texas, and in particular many areas within the 33rd Congressional District, that caused the death of more than 30 young teenagers and the addiction of thousands of young Children, to this killer drug that Children labeled Cheese Heroin."

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Carlos Quintanilla campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Texas District 33	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2022	U.S. House Texas District 33	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	U.S. House Texas District 33	Lost general	$20,464	$19,264
2018	U.S. House Texas District 33	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$20,464	$19,264
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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U.S. House Texas District 33

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Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)