Ruben Cortez Jr.

Ruben Cortez Jr. (Democratic Party) was a member of the Texas State Board of Education, representing District 2. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on January 1, 2023.

Cortez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 37. He lost in the Democratic primary runoff on May 28, 2024.

Biography

Prior to his election to the state board, Cortez had served on the Board of Trustees of the Brownsville Independent School District. He has also served on the Council of Urban Boards of Education and the National School Board Association's prekindergarten legislative committee.^[1]

Political career

Texas State Board of Education (2013-2023)

Cortez was first elected to the board in November 2012 and took office in January 2013. He was re-elected in 2014. On January 31, 2017, Cortez was elected to a two-year term as the board's secretary.^[2]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Texas House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Janie Lopez defeated Jonathan Gracia in the general election for Texas House of Representatives District 37 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Lopez (R)	55.0	30,590
	Submit photo	Jonathan Gracia (D)	45.0	25,014

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,604
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 37

Jonathan Gracia defeated Ruben Cortez Jr. in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas House of Representatives District 37 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jonathan Gracia	61.3	2,792
		Ruben Cortez Jr.	38.7	1,760

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,552
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 37

Ruben Cortez Jr. and Jonathan Gracia advanced to a runoff. They defeated Alex Dominguez and Carol Lynn Sanchez in the Democratic primary for Texas House of Representatives District 37 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ruben Cortez Jr.	32.5	2,695
✔	Submit photo	Jonathan Gracia	25.4	2,110
	Submit photo	Alex Dominguez	23.8	1,976
	Submit photo	Carol Lynn Sanchez	18.3	1,516

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,297
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Janie Lopez advanced from the Republican primary for Texas House of Representatives District 37 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janie Lopez	100.0	7,477

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,477
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cortez in this election.