Rick Noriega (TX-Sen.)

With sound experience as a State Representative and a proud record of serving in the armed forces, Rick Noriega will bring change and integrity to the US Senate.

Rick first answered the call for service in the U.S. Army in the wake of the Iran hostage crisis. He was a commander of the 143rd Infantry Detachment (Long-Range Surveillance) and later became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard. After September 11th, he served as Deputy Garrison Commander in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Upon his return from Afghanistan, Rick was tapped by Mayor Bill White to be Incident Commander of Houston's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts at the Convention Center. The Convention Center eventually became home to 30,000 evacuees and Rick coordinated medical, employment, travel, housing and food services for more than 2,000 evacuees living on-site. 

In 1988, Rick was elected to the US House of Representatives. During his first term, he sponsored legislation relating to economic development, emergency repairs for schools, and tuition assistance for some Texas Army National Guard members. In 2001, Rick shepherded the passage a bill which made Texas the first state in the country to provide in-state tuition rates and financial assistance for certain immigrant children. Following this groundbreaking legislation, Rick was selected by the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) and Hispanic Journal as "2001 Legislator of the Year."  The government of Mexico also honored Rick with the Ohtli Award in 2002, presented to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent who have distinguished themselves in public service.

Rick was elected to his 4th term in the Texas House of Representatives in November 2004, at the same time as he was serving in the US Army, training a new Army for Afghanistan. His wife, Melissa Meisgeier Noriega, made history when she was sworn in as his temporary replacement for the 79th Legislature on January 11, 2005. Rick and Melissa have two sons, Alex and Ricky Jr.

Despite running against incumbent Senator John Cornyn, Noriega benefits from Cornyn’s shockingly low -- 37% -- name recognition among Texas' registered voters. Also, Cornyn’s electability ratings are below 50%. Noriega won a decisive victory in the Democratic primary in March, and is steadily building momentum to offer Cornyn a tough challenge.

With a tough race ahead of him, we must do everything we can to turn this state blue and elect Rick Noriega. You can help his campaign by contributing now. If you live near Rick and would like to help you can also sign up to volunteer and we will help connect with his campaign. The stakes are too high, the time is short – get involved today.