EDINBURG — Twenty years and 10 terms later, Congressman Rubén Hinojosa has officially retired and passed the torch to his successor Vicente Gonzalez.
Hinojosa, 76, announced his retirement on Nov. 13, 2015, after rumors had already spread of this being his last term in office. What followed was a wave of support for the longterm congressman and a contentious election to replace him in Washington.
“It’s something that was difficult to decide,” Hinojosa said in 2015. “But there comes a time, and it’s very important that we do it at the right time … And I know that the electorate, those who are registered to vote, will decide who will be the one to take that banner.” Hinojosa’s political career started in 1972, when he became a school board member and continued as he moved on to the South Texas Community College board and the Texas State Board of Education.
But it was in 1997 that he received news that then-Congressman Eligio “Kika” de la Garza was retiring and Hinojosa was asked if he was interested in running for Congress.
“The first person I told was my wife,” Hinojosa recalled in a previous article. “I told her that that conversation had taken place and I wanted to know if she would support me.”
Even after becoming a congressman, Hinojosa’s passion for Education remained a priority and his accomplishments in this field are some of his most proud memories, he said.
“I can say that I’m most proud of the vision and leadership that I took making college more affordable and accessible for millions of students, especially the low income and underrepresented,” he said.
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