“The fact that I am Latino is not a secret. There’s not much I can do about that. It is what it is. I think people know that my last name ends in a vowel. What can I tell you?”
― Pete Gallego
“Turnout is good for the system.”
― Pete Gallego
“I think the post-Rick-Perry Texas is a Texas that is more competitive between the Democrats and Republicans. I think the Republicans still have a huge advantage, but I think if we’re arguing that competition is good for the system, then I think a stronger two-party system in Texas is inevitable, and I think that it will happen.”
― Pete Gallego
“I’m confident in my strengths. I’m prepared to jump any hurdle.”
― Pete Gallego
“As the polarization in D.C. spreads, the people willing to come to the middle find less and less acceptance.”
― Pete Gallego
“A robust democracy requires active participation.”
― Pete Gallego
“A lawmaker cannot be pro-sequester while also purporting to be pro-national security or supportive of a strong economy.”
― Pete Gallego
“My family never took vacations; we never traveled together. We never did anything. My spring breaks were going home to help my dad at the restaurant.”
― Pete Gallego
“I like having a battleground district because I think that’s real-life America.”
― Pete Gallego
“HB 2 leaves 90% of the children behind. The disconnect between this bill and the basic needs of Texas schoolchildren is appalling.”
― Pete Gallego
“It’s important we understand our system seeks justice and not revenge.”
― Pete Gallego
“It’s a lack of respect for the community when you’re not willing to debate because it’s the ‘wrong’ network.”
― Pete Gallego
“There’s no such thing as anybody who can’t be beat; everybody can be beat. It’s a question of how hard you’re willing to work. It’s a question of the environment, the surroundings. Frankly, there’s a lot of issues with timing.”
― Pete Gallego
“PACs don’t vote in the district; people do.”
― Pete Gallego
“The luxury for me is that I’ve spent already several millions of dollars across the district getting people to know who I am… So, my name ID is really, really high.”
― Pete Gallego
“If you want to come fight the good fight to make a difference for people and to try to get the government back on track, where we govern from the middle and not from the extremes, then understand that it’s a lonely road, and you’re going to have a hard time.”
― Pete Gallego
“Frankly, no issue is worth shutting down the government and denying pay to those committed to public service.”
― Pete Gallego
“I saw how hard my parents worked, and I didn’t want to be a freeloader.”
― Pete Gallego
“In Mexico, they don’t have birth certificates… They don’t have registration cards for voters. They have one national ID. We don’t have a national ID.”
― Pete Gallego
“Because fossil fuels are not only a finite resource but hazardous to the environment, it is imperative that we diversify the resources used in generating electricity.”
― Pete Gallego
“Every decision I make in Congress will be centered on the needs of the district.”
― Pete Gallego
“I didn’t come to Washington to be part of the problem.”
― Pete Gallego
“It was in the best interests of Zavala and other counties that we move forward with a farm bill and provide certainty to ranchers, farmers, food banks, and other providers.”
― Pete Gallego
“I learned long ago you run unopposed, or you run scared.”
― Pete Gallego
“I think it becomes incumbent upon a candidate to essentially disavow some of the things that are in that party platform. Otherwise, I think the assumption is that you are a true believer.”
― Pete Gallego
“Our voting records are not necessarily the same, but, you know, we’re all Texans, and at the end of the day, we try to help each other out.”
― Pete Gallego
“The irony is that kids are treated equally when it comes to tests and standards and expectations but not treated equally when providing funds to meet those standards and expectations.”
― Pete Gallego
“I told the president ‘no’ to special treatment for Congress when he tried to exempt them from Obamacare.”
― Pete Gallego
“Obama’s very unpopular. I don’t need a poll to tell me that.”
― Pete Gallego
“How do you defend inaction in the face of crisis? How is that defensible for anybody?”
― Pete Gallego
“We’ve made our living for a long time on commerce and trade at the border.”
― Pete Gallego
“If immigration reform doesn’t happen, that doesn’t say good things about our democracy, that everybody wants it, but Congress couldn’t pass it.”
― Pete Gallego
“There’s this fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party, and until that fight gets settled – because they’re the majority – there’s a lot of things that are pretty much on hold.”
― Pete Gallego
“It’s always bothersome when California does something better than Texas.”
― Pete Gallego
“California – with more cars, more drivers and more people – still has less DWI-related deaths than Texas does.”
― Pete Gallego
“Our challenge is to stop people from driving drunk. Punishing them afterwards doesn’t bring back the victim or make the family feel better. The idea is to stop the DWI before it happens.”
― Pete Gallego
“This is pool. This is setting up your next shot, and I always want to make sure when we’re setting up San Antonio’s next shot we have a good shot at making sure that we continue to build our infrastructure in such a way that San Antonio will be a player for years to come in national defense issues.”
― Pete Gallego
“When Congress puts party labels aside, like we did on VA reform, we can accomplish some great things for the American people. But those occasions were far too rare.”
― Pete Gallego
“Here’s the thing about Texas – and the thing about the border. We all know undocumented immigrants. They sit in our churches, are friends with our children, and work all around us. They are just like us.”
― Pete Gallego
“My grandmother was not a U.S. citizen. Growing up along the border, you see the real human side of immigration – not the picture often drawn by politicians far removed from the border.”
― Pete Gallego
“The policy of the future cannot forever be determined by the politics of the past – or even the present.”
― Pete Gallego
“The men and women at our borders, given adequate resources, are doing an excellent job of keeping us safe.”
― Pete Gallego
“I was impressed by the capability and talent and intellect of our troops on the ground. These kids are really impressive.”
― Pete Gallego
“Around here, manana seems to be the busiest day of the week. We never seem to get there.”
― Pete Gallego
“When the law says you’re entitled to an attorney, it doesn’t mean you’re entitled to an attorney who sleeps or an attorney who doesn’t do his job.”
― Pete Gallego
“We must work for a solution to address the senseless cuts that hurt our border, our economy, and our country.”
― Pete Gallego
“Sequestration will make it extremely challenging – and in many cases impossible – for employees to meet their mortgage payments, pay their healthcare expenses, plan for retirement, or help their children attend college. To be blunt, these families are at risk.”
― Pete Gallego
“No one will steal my son’s American Dream.”
― Pete Gallego
“I have never been in favor of gay marriage, and I am not in favor of gay marriage.”
― Pete Gallego
“Congress is more broken than ever. Congressman Will Hurd has quickly become part of the problem.”
― Pete Gallego
“I think ‘immigration’ is a bad word for many Republicans.”
― Pete Gallego
“We have a two-party system that I think can work well if people make an effort.”
― Pete Gallego
“It’s just so unfortunate that, as we get adjusted to this global economy, that the U.S. is even thinking about building walls.”
― Pete Gallego
“As an incumbent, if you are winning, your commercials are about motherhood and apple pie and the flag.”
― Pete Gallego
“We all want our border to be secure. However, certain individuals use this argument to stop us from ever enacting immigration reform.”
― Pete Gallego
“It takes a certain personality to thrive as a member of the House.”
― Pete Gallego
“People don’t have the opportunity to be larger than life anymore – they’re afraid of seeing it on the Internet.”
― Pete Gallego
“In the old way of doing business, it was fine to disagree and then go to dinner. Now it’s personal and more partisan, and a disagreement on one issue leads to a disagreement on another issue.”
― Pete Gallego
“In the district I represent, I have to talk to everybody.”
― Pete Gallego
“I don’t have the luxury of just hanging out in my primary and, once I win the primary, I’m fine. I have to talk to Democrats and Republicans.”
― Pete Gallego
“It’s tremendously undemocratic in a democratic society when you deliberately disenfranchise thousands of people.”
― Pete Gallego
“For me, the issue is if I’m your advocate, if I’m your representative, my job is to stand up for you and talk about you and defend you.”
― Pete Gallego
“One of the things that ties people together, whether they live in a rural or urban area, is the really big number of people who have served in the military. Veterans issues are very important in the district.”
― Pete Gallego
“One of the things in my experience about changing parties: There are very few exceptions to the general rule. And the general rule has been, people are going to invite you into the church, but they are not going to make you a deacon.”
― Pete Gallego
“You want to empower people who think like you do.”
― Pete Gallego
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