Richard Peña Raymond (born October 27, 1960) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives. He currently represents District 42, which encompasses western Webb County and includes most of the city of Laredo. He sits on the House Committees of Civil Practices and Criminal Jurisprudence. In 2005, he announced that he would run for Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, against fellow Democrat Henry Cuellar, who currently holds the seat for the 28th Congressional District. However, Raymond decided against challenging Cuellar and ran for reelection to his state House seat instead. He defeated former Webb County Judge Mercurio "Merc" Martinez, Jr., in a hard-fought Democratic primary runoff. In 1998, Raymond gave up his previous House seat when he resided in Benavides in order to challenge the Republican candidate for land commissioner, David Dewhurst. Dewhurst easily won the election for the right to succeed Democratic Land Commissioner Garry Mauro of Bryan. On the day of the inauguration of George W. Bush as president, Raymond won a special election in Webb County to succeed Henry Cuellar in the state House of Representatives. He defeated a multi-candidate field of Democrats, including Carlos Ygnacio "C.Y." Benavides, III, a Laredo-area businessman, who in 2006 ran unsuccessfully for Webb County judge.
Raymond was born in Alice, the seat of Jim Wells County, and reared in Benavides. He graduated from Benavides High School. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a bachelor of arts degree, majoring in government with a minor in history. He and his wife Michelle have three children: Aren, Eva, and Ryan. Raymond is a cousin of Webb County District Attorney Joe Rubio, Jr. Raymond is considered a liberal Democrat who is often at odds with the Texas state Republican leadership. He filed the lawsuit opposing the 2003 congressional redistricting plan adopted by the states' Republican majority. In 2006, the United States Supreme Court, with the Ronald Reagan appointee JusticeAnthony Kennedy providing the swing vote, ordered changes in the plan which proved favorable to Texas Democrats changes in the mid-term elections. In 2007, Raymond participated unsuccessfully in a coup attempt against Texas House SpeakerTom Craddick, a Midland Republican.
