Penny Morales Shaw (born March 17, 1966)[1] is an American attorney and politician. She was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2020 to represent the 148th District, which includes parts of Spring Branch, Garden Oaks/Oak Forest, Carverdale, and Cypress-Fairbanks. She is a member of the Democratic Party.[2]
Penny Morales Shaw | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 148th district | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Anna Eastman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Penelope Morales Shaw March 17, 1966 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Nova Southeastern University (Juris Doctor) |
| Occupation | Attorney, Politician |
| Website | https://voteforpenny.com/ |
Early life and education
editMorales Shaw is one of seven children, raised primarily in Houston, Texas while attending public schools. Her father was in the Air Force and her mother was a pharmacist technician.[3] She cites her father's service for her advocacy for veterans affairs issues.[4]
She obtained her Juris Doctor from the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University in June 2000.[5] Morales Shaw was widowed shortly after graduating from law school, raising four children while maintaining her law practice.
Career
editMorales Shaw practiced law and spent several years in Washington, D.C. as congressional advocate for passing laws, including International Violence Against Women Act.[2] She also worked for the NAACP.
She is a local business owner and held a multi-state law practice.[6]
Elections
editMorales Shaw ran for Harris County Commissioner Court in 2018, but lost with 48% of the vote in a close race.[7]
Morales Shaw served as the Deputy Chief for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2 before running for public office.[2]
She also ran for the Texas House of Representatives District 148th seat in a special election in November 2019, but only came out to 8% of the vote. Anna Eastman won the special election in January 2020.[8]
In the primaries, none of the five democratic candidates received the threshold to move on for the November 2020 election.[9] Morales Shaw and Eastman were the top two candidates and advance to a runoff election in July.[9][10] In the democratic primary runoff, Shaw defeated Eastman in a close race only by less than 3 points (or 200 votes).[8] Morales Shaw ran defeated Republican Luis LaRotta in the general election with 63% of the vote.[11]
Following redistricting, Morales Shaw ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican Kay Smith with 55.5% of the vote in the November 2022 election.[12] She is facing Smith again in the November 2024 election.
Texas House of Representatives
editMorales Shaw took office on January 12, 2021. She was one of the Texas House Democratic members who walked out on the July legislative session, travelling to Washington, D.C. to advocate for federal voting rights legislation in response to state legislation following the 2020 election.[13][14]
During the 87th Legislative Session, she was appointed to serve on the House Environmental Regulation Committee and the House Urban Affairs Committee. During the 88th Legislative Session, she served on the Defense & Veterans' Affairs, Environmental Regulation, and Local & Consent Calendars committees.[15]
She is a member of the House Innovation & Technology Caucus, House LGBTQ Caucus, Legislative Study Group, Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC), Texas Legislative Ports Caucus, Texas Women’s Health Caucus, and the House Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Penny Shaw's Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c Cristiano, Brittany (November 5, 2020). "Houston, Meet Your First-time Public Officials". Houstonia. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Rep Shaw (October 30, 2019). Vote Penny Morales Shaw for Texas House of Representatives District 148. Retrieved October 15, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Tweet from Rep. Penny M Shaw on Veterans' Day".
- ^ "State Bar of Texas | Find A Lawyer | Penny R. Shaw". www.texasbar.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
- ^ Board, The Editorial (October 19, 2022). "Editorial: We recommend Penny Morales Shaw for Texas House District 148". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Gruenberg, Mark (February 25, 2020). "Immigration attorney challenges pro-Trump Dem; unites Texas unions with party's progressives". Peoples World. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Dulin, Matt (July 14, 2020). "Updated: Penny Morales Shaw narrowly defeats Anna Eastman in Texas House District 148 contest". Community Impact. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Whalen, Emma (March 3, 2020). "Democratic primary for Texas House District 148 race headed to runoff". Community Impact. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Whalen, Emma (June 29, 2020). "Rep. Anna Eastman faces recent opponent Penny Morales Shaw in runoff for Texas House District 148". Community Impact. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Texas State House - District 148 Election Results". HomeTownLife.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Penny Morales Shaw, Texas Rep.: Email and phone. Salary, biographical details and latest news". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Representative Jackson-Lee and Texas House Democrats News Conference on Voting Rights | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Eltohamy, Farah (July 14, 2021). "What it means to break quorum and what you need to know about the Texas House Democrats' dramatic departure". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Representatives, Texas House of. "Texas House of Representatives". www.house.texas.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "About Penny". Penny Morales Shaw for Texas House District 148. Retrieved September 19, 2023.