Philip Cortez

Philip A. Cortez
Member of the State of Texas House of Representatives from the 117th District
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2017
Preceded byRick Galindo
Member of the State of Texas House of Representatives from the 117th District
In office
January 8, 2013 – January 13, 2015
Preceded byJohn Garza
Succeeded byRick Galindo
Member of the San Antonio City Council from the 4th District
In office
June 2007 – May 2011
Preceded byRichard Perez
Succeeded byRey Saldana
Personal details
Born
Philip Adam Cortez

(1978-07-07) July 7, 1978 (age 46)
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceSan Antonio, Texas
Alma mater
OccupationUnited States Air Force Reserve captain
Websitewww.philipcortez.com

Philip Adam Cortez (born July 7, 1978) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. He previously served as a State Representative for House District 117 during the 83rd Legislative Session. From 2007 to 2012, he was a member of the nominally nonpartisan San Antonio City Council, on which he was a firm ally of then Mayor Julian Castro.

Cortez is a captain in the Air Force Reserve, having originally joined the Air Force as an enlisted airman.[1]

In the November 6, 2012 general election, Cortez unseated the freshman Republican John Garza. In his first term, Cortez was named the top Democratic freshman by Capitol Inside.[2]

In the November 4, 2014 general election, Cortez was narrowly unseated by the Republican Rick Galindo, who won his party primary on March 4 with 2,372 votes (64.6 percent). Galindo thwarted the primary comeback bid waged by former Representative John Garza, who trailed with 1,300 votes (35.4 percent) of the ballots cast.[3] In the November 4 general election, Galindo defeated Cortez, 12,835 votes (52.7 percent) to 11,521 (47.3 percent).[4]

Cortez returned in 2016 to unseat Galindo, who polled 27,783 votes (48.6 percent) in the general election to Cortez's 29,319 (51.3 percent). Cortez won again in the general election held on November 6, 2018, when he handily defeated the conservative Republican candidate, Michael Berlanga, 32,779 (57.4 percent) to 24,352 (42.6 percent).[5] Berlanga (born December 16, 1959) is a certified public accountant in San Antonio who formerly ran for Bexar County tax assessor-collector but lost to Democrat Albert Uresti.

Prior to the Texas House of Representatives, Philip Cortez was San Antonio City Councilman for District 4. In 2007, he won with over 70% of the vote and was re-elected in 2009 with over 78% of the vote.

Cortez's younger brother, Joseph Cortez (born 1983), was a candidate for the District 6 seat on the San Antonio City Council in the municipal election held on May 6, 2017. Joseph Cortez sought to succeed the term-limited Ray Lopez, for whom he was the policy and communications advisor during the preceding three years.[6]

On July 27, 2021, an arrest warrant was issued for Cortez for fleeing Texas to DC in an attempt to block quorum during special session.[7]

  1. ^ "Rep. Cortez, Philip District 117". Texas House of Representatives. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  2. ^ Rauf, David (11 September 2013). "Rep. Cortez girds for re-election". My San Antonio. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Republican primary election returns (House District 117), March 4, 2014". enr.sos.state.tx.us. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  4. ^ "General election returns, November 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  5. ^ "Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. ^ Gilbert Garcia, "State Rep's younger brother launches bid for council seat", San Antonio Express-News, January 8, 2017, p. 2.
  7. ^ Pollock, Cassandra (26 July 2021). "Speaker Dade Phelan signs civil arrest warrant for Texas House Democrat who returned to Washington". The Texas Tribune.