Gallego, Pete P. (Pete Peña), 1961-

Pete Peña Gallego (born December 2, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district from 2013 to 2015.

Born in Alpine, Texas, he graduated from Alpine High School in 1980, and then earned a B.A. from Sul Ross State University in Alpine in 1982. In 1985, Gallego earned a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985, and then worked in the office of the Texas state attorney general. He entered private practice in 1990, the year he won election to the Texas state house of representatives. As a freshman lawmaker, Democrats chose him to lead their caucus; he held that position with distinction through a decade of Republican control of the chamber. In 2001 Gallego became head of the legislature’s Mexican-American caucus. He focused on issues of ethics and criminal justice. Colleagues referred to him as a “member’s member” and praised his quiet, approachable style which appealed to both parties.

In late 2011, Gallego announced his intention to enter the Democratic primary to challenge the incumbent, Republican Francisco “Quico” Canseco. The hotly contested 23rd congressional district, the largest geographically in Texas, ran along the U.S. border with Mexico, centered on the city of San Antonio, and was home to a significant Hispanic population. Though the district had been redrawn to be slightly friendlier to Republicans in 2012, Canseco’s deeply conservative views alienated some voters and drew heavy opposition from outside political action groups in the Hispanic-majority district. Gallego defeated Canseco with a slight majority. In Washington, Gallego focused on issues important to his rural Texas constituents and attempted to bridge the partisan divide. He strongly supported comprehensive immigration reform, citing his district which covered 800 miles of the border with Mexico and offering reasoning consistent with his Blue Dog credentials. Gallego sought to secure overtime pay and tax benefits for official border agents, many of whom lived and worked in his district. He also favored the creation of 26 additional facilities to provide easier access to health care for veterans in rural areas like his district.

Gallego ran unopposed in the 2014 Democratic primary and went on to face Republican and former CIA operative Will Hurd in the general election. As the only competitive House race in Texas, the campaign drew significant attention and fundraising on both sides. Hurd emphasized the lack of job growth in the district and tied Gallego’s most prominent funders to environmental groups. As the political environment of the 2014 midterm election was not friendly to Democratic candidates, however, and Gallego lost, 50 to 48 percent. Gallego's 2016 bid against Hurd similarly fell short. In 2018, he ran in a special election for the Texas State Senate District 19, losing to Republican Pete Flores.