Ron Reynolds (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Reynolds
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Reynolds in 2021
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| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 27th district |
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| Assumed office January 11, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Dora Olivo |
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| Born |
Ronald Eugene Reynolds
September 18, 1973 Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jonita Wallace
(divorced) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Missouri City, Texas |
| Education |
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| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
Ronald Eugene Reynolds (born September 18, 1973) is an American politician. He represents District 27 in the Texas House of Representatives. He was first elected to this role in 2010. Reynolds made history as the first African American to represent Fort Bend County in the Texas House of Representatives since the Reconstruction era.
In August 2022, Reynolds was chosen to be the Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. He also helped create the first-ever Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Legislative Caucus in 2023 and now leads it as its Chair.
Before his current role, he was the Chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus. He also worked as a lawyer, a professor at Texas Southern University, and a judge in Houston. He was president of the Houston Lawyers Association and the Missouri City & Vicinity National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Since February 2024, he has been a National Board Member of the NAACP. He also works in engineering and business development.
In November 2018, Reynolds was re-elected for his fifth term in the Texas House of Representatives. In June 2024, after a presidential debate, Reynolds was one of the first Democratic politicians to suggest that President Joe Biden should be replaced at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ron Reynolds moved from Tennessee to Missouri City, Texas, when he was a child. He lived there with his mother. He went to schools in Fort Bend County.
He graduated from Texas Southern University in 1996. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public affairs. After that, he went to Texas Tech University School of Law. He finished law school in 1999, earning a Juris Doctor degree.
Political Career
Reynolds first ran for the Texas House of Representatives in 2008 for District 27. He ran against the person who held the seat at the time, Dora Olivo. He narrowly lost that election.
In 2010, he ran again in the Democratic primaries and won against Dora Olivo. Later that year, he won the general election against Derek Dean Grayson. He officially became a State Representative for House District 27 on January 10, 2011.
In 2012, he ran without any opponents in the Democratic party primaries. He won re-election in the general election with 69% of the votes. Reynolds was elected for a third term in 2014, winning with 67% of the votes. In 2016, he faced a challenge in the Democratic primaries from Angelique Bartholomew. He won the runoff election by a small margin. He then won the 2016 general election.
In the 2018 Democratic primaries, he won against Wilvin Carter. He then won the 2018 general election without an opponent. In the 2020 general election, he won re-election against Tom Virippan.
In 2021, Reynolds was arrested with U.S. congressman Al Green during a protest for voting rights in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was also among several Democrats who faced arrest warrants for not attending a special session called by Greg Abbott in August 2021. In 2021, he started the Texas House Progressive Caucus. In 2022, he won re-election again, beating the Republican party candidate, Sohrab Gilani, with 70.3% of the votes. In August 2022, Reynolds was elected Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. He also helped create the first-ever Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Legislative Caucus in 2023.
Reports have shown that Reynolds has owed the most in fines to the Texas Ethics Commission compared to other lawmakers in 2017, 2018, and 2024. As of July 2024, he owed over $77,000 in fines.
Political Views
Improving the Justice System
Reynolds has supported bills aimed at improving the justice system. These include providing money for police departments to use police body cameras and making changes to how grand juries work. He also supported a bill that would require a special prosecutor for cases where police officers are involved in shootings.
Expanding Medicare
Reynolds supports expanding Medicare in the United States. He believes this would help more people in Texas get health insurance. Texas has the highest percentage of people without health insurance.
Raising the Minimum Wage
In 2019, Reynolds suggested a bill to increase the minimum wage in Texas to $15 an hour. He stated that it is very hard for someone working full-time to support a family on less than $15,000 a year.
Reparations for Historical Injustice
Reynolds has proposed laws that would have Texas pay money to the descendants of the Sugar Land 95. These were 95 African Americans in the 1800s who were forced to work on a plantation in Sugar Land, Texas, under a system called convict leasing. He suggested that DNA testing could help identify these descendants.
Gaza-Israel Conflict
In November 2023, Reynolds signed a letter asking the Biden administration to send more humanitarian aid and push for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza. He later signed another letter asking the administration to rethink the aid given to Israel. This was in the hope of preventing any future human rights violations.
Awards and Honors
Reynolds has received many awards for his work. These include the EEOC Civil Rights All Star Award and the American Red Cross Humanitarian Award. He has also won the Houston Black Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award twice.
Other honors include the Missouri City Juneteenth Community Service Award and the DMARS Business Journal Top Lawyer & Public Servant Award. He was named one of Houston's Top 40 Leaders Under 40 and Houston’s Top Lawyer by HTexas Magazine. He was also recognized in Who's Who in Black Houston. In 2011, the House Democratic Caucus voted him Freshman Legislator of the Year. The Houston Minority Contractors Association named him Public Servant of the Year.
He has also received the YMCA Minority Achievers Award, the NAACP Drum Major for Justice Award, and the Texas Association of African American Chamber of Commerce's Legislator of the Year Award.
