Richard Cantu

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Richard Cantu

Democratic Party

Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

6

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Jeff Davis High School

Associate

Houston Community College, 1991

Bachelor's

University of Houston, 1994

Graduate

University of St. Thomas, 2014

Personal

Birthplace

Houston, Texas

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Executive Director

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Richard Cantu (Democratic Party) is an at-large member of the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees in Texas. He assumed office on January 1, 2019. His current term ends on December 31, 2028.

Cantu (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees in Texas. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Richard Cantu was born in Houston, Texas. He earned a high school diploma from Jeff Davis High School, an associate degree from Houston Community College in 1991, a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston in 1994, and a graduate degree from the University of St. Thomas in 2014. His career experience includes working as an executive director.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2024)

General election

General election for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Incumbent Richard Cantu defeated Danielle Dick in the general election for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu (D)	52.5	766,273
	Submit photo	Danielle Dick (R)	47.5	692,614

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,458,887
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Incumbent Richard Cantu defeated Josh Wallenstein in the Democratic primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu	63.8	95,227
		Josh Wallenstein	36.2	53,983

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 149,210
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Danielle Dick advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Danielle Dick	100.0	141,307

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,307
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cantu in this election.

2023

See also: City elections in Houston, Texas (2023)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Houston City Council At-large Position 3

Twila Carter defeated Richard Cantu in the general runoff election for Houston City Council At-large Position 3 on December 9, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Twila Carter (Nonpartisan)	51.0	88,570
		Richard Cantu (Nonpartisan)	49.0	85,012

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 173,582
= 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.

General election

General election for Houston City Council At-large Position 3

The following candidates ran in the general election for Houston City Council At-large Position 3 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu (Nonpartisan)	21.9	43,514
✔		Twila Carter (Nonpartisan)	20.6	40,964
		Donnell Cooper (Nonpartisan)	13.4	26,683
		Ericka McCrutcheon (Nonpartisan)	13.1	26,094
		Richard Nguyen (Nonpartisan)	10.1	20,012
	Submit photo	Casey Curry (Nonpartisan)	9.0	17,868
		James Joseph (Nonpartisan)	6.5	12,839
		Ethan Michelle Ganz (Nonpartisan)	3.2	6,324
	Submit photo	Bernard Amadi (Nonpartisan)	2.1	4,230

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 198,528
= 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.

Endorsements

To view Cantu's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cantu in this election.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2018)

General election

General election for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Richard Cantu defeated Marc Cowart in the general election for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu (D)	56.7	670,827
	Submit photo	Marc Cowart (R)	43.3	512,094

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,182,921
= 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 runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Richard Cantu defeated Josh Wallenstein in the Democratic primary runoff for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu	50.3	26,041
		Josh Wallenstein	49.7	25,780

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51,821
= 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 Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Richard Cantu and Josh Wallenstein advanced to a runoff. They defeated Elvonte Patton in the Democratic primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Richard Cantu	39.0	53,792
✔		Josh Wallenstein	30.8	42,425
		Elvonte Patton	30.2	41,630

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 137,847
= 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 Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

Marc Cowart advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Marc Cowart	100.0	110,287

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 110,287
= 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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Richard Cantu did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Richard Cantu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cantu'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 a 30-year Public Servant who has worked both at the front line delivering important city services as well as at the Executive Level of city government. I was elected county-wide to the Harris County Board of Education in 2018, and I have served as a Democratic Precinct Chair and as a Civic Club President. I currently serve as Executive Director of the East Aldine Management District, one of the largest districts in Harris County. I also earned a BA in Political Science from University of Houston and a master’s in public administration from the University of St. Thomas.

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?

• SAFE & CLEAN NEIGHBORHOODS • Improve neighborhood safety by expanding dialogue and forging partnerships between law enforcement and the community so public safety efforts prioritize the community’s needs. • Better utilize crime fighting technology like LPR (license plate reader) Cameras and ShotSpotter in high-crime Hotspots in order to assist patrol officers in solving crime. • Expand community policing with an emphasis on Youth as well as Businesses. Officers should have regular interaction with our youth in schools and community centers. Better outreach with businesses will serve as a force multiplier by coordinating and sharing information and concerns. • Develop more neighborhood clean-up efforts by partnering with civic groups, sc
• YOUTH DEVELOPMENT • Invest in Youth like the future of our city depends on it…...because it does! • All our parks and community centers should be bursting at the seams with community activity; however, many are virtually empty. • Safe school corridors should be prioritized by police as well as youth service providers in order to prevent crime and opportunities for youth delinquency. • City facilities and other community resources need to be better utilized so we can divert youth from crime and drugs, while providing better access to resources and opportunities to succeed!
• COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS • Improve efficiency of city services by highlighting areas of excellence and addressing those that need improvement. Department reps should be meeting regularly with neighborhood leaders. • City departments should seek out the use of schools and church facilities in areas where no city facilities exist, so services are accessible to the residents that need them the most. • Train and employ a volunteer Neighborhood Corps to assist with neighborhood code enforcement efforts and revitalization of blighted areas. • Prioritize the needs and goals of civic groups, schools, and youth organizations (like little leagues) throughout the city. These are the most active and none have more pride in their area.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Neighborhood Revitalization, Public Safety/Crime Prevention, Youth Development, Education Advocacy, and Community/Economic Development

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

National Latino Peace Officers Association (Houston Chapter)

Latino Texas PAC
Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
State Representative Armando Walle
Harris County Constable Silvia Trevino
HCDE Board President Andrea Duhon
HCDE Board Vice President Amy Hinojosa

HCDE Board 2nd Vice President David Brown

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.

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Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 3, At-Large

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