A Career of Public Service

Growing up in Duval County, Richard Peña Raymond’s family fought political corruption, an experience that motivated his lifelong interest in public service. As a young man, Richard worked for several respected political leaders, including United States Senators Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) and Paul Simon (D-IL), Texas Railroad Commissioner Bob Krueger and Texas Land Commissioner Garry Mauro.

In 1992, Richard ran for public office for the first time, winning 67% of the vote and election to the Texas House of Representatives in a race against an incumbent. Raymond represented seven rural counties in South Texas between Laredo and San Antonio until January 1999.

In 1998, Richard won the Democratic nomination in a statewide race for Texas Land Commissioner. He received 1.5 million votes in a strong General Election campaign that was hampered by a Bush gubernatorial landslide at the top of the ticket. A few weeks later, Richard and his wife Michelle moved to Laredo, where Raymond family members have lived for more than 100 years.