Naomi Gonzalez
Encyclopedia
Naomi R. Gonzalez is an attorney
and politician from El Paso, Texas
. She is a Democratic
member of the Texas House of Representatives
, where she represents the 76th district in El Paso County.
in El Paso, before going to Our Lady of the Lake University
in San Antonio and law school at Saint Mary's University
. On graduating law school, she worked at El Paso law firms before joining the El Paso County Attorney's office in 2007 as an Assistant County Attorney.
in the 2010 Democratic primary runoff to capture a seat in the Texas House, capitalizing on a series of high-profile controversies surrounding Chávez. Despite running against a long-time incumbent, Gonzalez's campaign received the support of numerous local political players, including the El Paso Times
, state senator Eliot Shapleigh
and other members of the county's legislative delegation. The race was highly negative and personal, with each candidate launching attacks against the other.
In the Democratic primary election held on March 2, Gonzalez polled 48% of the vote to Chávez's 46%, with a minor candidate taking the remainder. Because no candidate won an absolute majority, a runoff election was held on April 13, 2010 with Gonzalez defeating Chávez by 53% to 47% – a margin of 361 votes. No Republican filed for the seat and Gonzalez won the general election unopposed.
, saying that her opponent was a lesbian
. Gonzelez did not deny the charge but criticized Chávez's tactics and accused her of trying to run from her record.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician from El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. She is a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
, where she represents the 76th district in El Paso County.
Early life and career
Gonzalez graduated from Jefferson High SchoolJefferson High School (El Paso, Texas)
Jefferson High School is a public high school located in South-Central El Paso, Texas. It is part of the El Paso Independent School District and serves mainly the eastern half of South-Central El Paso, generally from the Rio Grande north to Interstate 10 west of Raynolds Street and railroad tracks...
in El Paso, before going to Our Lady of the Lake University
Our Lady of the Lake University
Our Lady of the Lake University is an independent Catholic, co-ed university located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a religious order originating in Lorraine, France, during the 18th century...
in San Antonio and law school at Saint Mary's University
St. Mary's University, Texas
St. Mary's University is a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution located on northwest of downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. St. Mary’s is a nationally recognized master’s level school ranked among the top colleges in the west for best value and academic reputation by U.S. News...
. On graduating law school, she worked at El Paso law firms before joining the El Paso County Attorney's office in 2007 as an Assistant County Attorney.
2010 campaign for state representative
Gonzalez defeated seven-term incumbent Norma ChávezNorma Chavez
Norma Chávez served seven terms as a Democratic member in the Texas House of Representatives representing District 76 which includes part of El Paso County...
in the 2010 Democratic primary runoff to capture a seat in the Texas House, capitalizing on a series of high-profile controversies surrounding Chávez. Despite running against a long-time incumbent, Gonzalez's campaign received the support of numerous local political players, including the El Paso Times
El Paso Times
The El Paso Times is the English-language newspaper for the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. The paper was founded in 1881 by Marcellus Washington Carrico. It originally started out as a weekly but within a year's time, it became the daily newspaper for the frontier town.The newspaper has a daily...
, state senator Eliot Shapleigh
Eliot Shapleigh
Eliot Shapleigh is a politician from the state of Texas, who represented the state's 29th Senatorial District, which comprises the majority of El Paso County, from 1997 to 2011. He announced on October 16, 2009 that he will not run for re-election in 2010...
and other members of the county's legislative delegation. The race was highly negative and personal, with each candidate launching attacks against the other.
In the Democratic primary election held on March 2, Gonzalez polled 48% of the vote to Chávez's 46%, with a minor candidate taking the remainder. Because no candidate won an absolute majority, a runoff election was held on April 13, 2010 with Gonzalez defeating Chávez by 53% to 47% – a margin of 361 votes. No Republican filed for the seat and Gonzalez won the general election unopposed.
Personal
During the 2010 campaign, Chávez drew attention on several occasions to Gonzalez's sexual orientationSexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, saying that her opponent was a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. Gonzelez did not deny the charge but criticized Chávez's tactics and accused her of trying to run from her record.