Eddie Rodriguez

Eduardo Rene "Eddie" Rodriguez was born on July 1, 1971, in McAllen, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Rodriguez served as a state representative in the Texas House for over two decades. He represented House District 51, which covers much of southeast Travis County including parts of Austin. Rodriguez resided in Austin, Texas, and was known as a senior member of the Travis County delegation in the House, serving as the only male representative in the delegation at the time of his later career.

Education

Rodriguez earned his undergraduate degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994. He also obtained his law degree from the same institution. He is a life member of the Texas Exes alumni organization.

Political Experience

Rodriguez was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives at age 31, taking office on January 14, 2003, and serving until January 10, 2023. He succeeded Glen Maxey, the first openly gay lawmaker in Texas, after working as Maxey's chief of staff and as executive director of the Travis County Democratic Party.

His initial election was competitive—he defeated fellow Democrat Lulu Flores in a Democratic runoff by just 117 votes after trailing her by over 16 points in the primary. He went on to win the general election with 82 percent of the vote. Rodriguez was consistently reelected, winning by margins of approximately four to one against various opponents, and ran unopposed in 2018 for his ninth term.

In March 2020, Rodriguez declared his candidacy for State Senate District 14, vacated by retiring Senator Kirk Watson. During his House tenure, Rodriguez served on the House Calendars Committee, State Affairs Committee, and Ways and Means Committee. He also served as co-founder and chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus.