AUSTIN - In a year of history-making national elections, two young El Pasoans made some history of their own with surprising victories over a longtime incumbent politician and a well-heeled local businessman.

State Rep.-elect Marisa Marquez in March unseated legislative veteran state Rep. Paul Moreno in the Democratic primary, ending his four-decade hold on the Central El Paso district.

And though polls showed him trailing prominent El Paso Republican and businessman Dee Margo, state Rep.-elect Joe Moody, a Democrat, shocked the state in November by winning a seat the GOP had held for 30 years. The 27-year-old's victory brought the Democrats within a razor's edge of taking control of the Texas House and ensured one less vote for embattled House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland.

While both candidates were helped by a political season dominated by a quest for change, experts said, different circumstances in each race contributed to their surprising upsets and to the growing trend of electing younger people to public office in El Paso.

Voters are "kind of generally upset and unhappy with way things are going here locally," said University of Texas at El Paso political science Professor Greg Rocha.

Thirty-year-old Marquez was in the right place at the right time, Rocha said.

"It's not so much about being experienced but (about) being positioned to take advantage of things at a particular moment, and she was," Rocha said.

Moreno, whose first term was in 1967, had faced tough opponents in the past decade. The district was also redrawn to include voters not so familiar with the veteran politician. The septuagenarian in 2007 also had health problems and major personal losses, including the death of his longtime caretaker.

"People thought maybe it's time for a change," Rocha said.

Marquez took to the streets months before the election, walking door-to-door and talking with voters in the Central El Paso district. That persistence and a clear message of change, she said, were among the keys to her success.

"What I represented was something different and something voters could grasp," she said.

In Moody's case, Rocha said, the final outcome was largely driven by the polar opposite personalities of the two candidates.

During a recent visit with a group in Northeast El Paso, Rocha said, voters told him they voted for Moody not so much because they liked him but because they disliked his opponent.

Voters, Rocha said, were disenchanted with the old ways of the Republican Party, which Margo seemed to represent. "People were yearning to try something different," Rocha said.

Like Marquez, Moody said talking to voters and promising something other than politics as usual was critical in his campaign.

"We were able to garner support from people from all walks of life," Moody said.

Terry Diaz, 74, lives in the Northeast and voted for Moody. She said she has also supported young candidates who have run for the City Council and the County Commissioners Court. Six of El Paso's eight city representatives are younger than 40.

"They're smart, sharp kids, educated. They're so vibrant," Diaz said. "We always felt El Paso didn't move forward because it was in control of the old fogies."

One of the most incredible feats the two young candidates accomplished was getting mostly older El Pasoans, such as Diaz, to vote for them, said Joseph Villescas, owner of Villescas Research, Media and Instruction.

Despite enormous efforts nationally to get young people to the polls, Villescas said, in El Paso, senior citizens still dominated at the ballot box. "Those are the people who determine the official who goes into office, not the people their age."

Moody and Marquez, he said, have their work cut out for them. They have to work as new legislators to achieve their campaign promises to supporters, he said.

And they also need to cultivate new voters and young leaders to follow in their footsteps, said Villescas, who has encouraged young, educated El Pasoans to return to their hometown and take on public leadership roles.

"They can't fall asleep now that they've gotten into office," Villescas said. "Their work has only begun."


Joe Moody

Question: What is your top priority for your first legislative session?

Answer: My priorities will be the issues that are crucial to El Paso. I will be working to make sure we can move El Paso forward by securing further funding for Texas Tech Medical School, for Tier One status for UTEP, getting a visitor center at Franklin Mountains State Park, (will) continue to foster new business opportunities in El Paso in the area of renewable energy, and to re-establish gaming at Speaking Rock casino.

Q: What message do you hope to convey about El Paso while in Austin?

A: El Paso is a dynamic city that is growing by the day. We are a border community that takes pride in our working relationship with our Mexican neighbors. We are also a growing military community. Fort Bliss brings more diversity to El Paso (and) stimulates our local economy. My message to my colleagues in Austin will be that El Paso is on the move and that our future importance to the state of Texas is clear.

Q: Who will you look to as a mentor/role model?

A: As a new member, I will be reaching out to the senior members of the El Paso delegation, as well as leaders from across the state. I look forward to learning from them, building on their knowledge and working across party lines to continue to improve El Paso and all of Texas.

Q: What are you looking forward to about serving in the legislature?

A: To working for my community. I am going to get the chance to represent the very neighborhoods I grew up in, and that is a truly humbling and exciting opportunity.

Q: What do you consider the biggest factor that contributed to your election victory?

A: Grass-roots campaigning. We saw the desire in this nation and this state for new leadership and a new direction. People wanted something more than politics as usual, and our campaign represented a new way and a new day for El Paso.

Q: What can you learn from the legislator who preceded you?

A: Representative Haggerty and Representative Vowell always sought to represent their community first, putting El Paso ahead of Austin politics. As El Paso moves forward, I will also put our needs before Austin politics.

Q: Is youth an advantage or disadvantage in the Texas House?

A: Youth is absolutely an advantage. We will bring new ideas and new relationships to Austin. Youth brings with it optimism in the future and shows the children of Texas that they truly can do anything they set their minds to. Each generation has its great leaders and great minds. Now I hope to learn from those who have come before me, and my senior colleagues, to help shape the future of El Paso and Texas for the next generation.

Q: What lessons from the campaign might help you in Austin?

A: Listening is key. We walked and talked to thousands of El Pasoans throughout the campaign. We heard countless stories of how government and politics has failed people in the past. Through listening, you learn, and then you act. I listened to these stories and I will take them with me to Austin. Children need health care, new roads need to be built, and our education system must be fixed. These are just a few of the concerns I heard and want to focus on in Austin.

Q: The speaker question will be your first big decision. What are you looking for in the candidates and how are you handling the pressure?

A: I am looking for someone who will bring bipartisanship back to the House. Texas is a diverse state with diverse needs, and the new speaker should have a respect for that. The 76-74 split shows that this state is not so politically divided as it was 10 years ago. We need a speaker who will allow all members to vote their district and not have to worry about the political retribution that vote could bring.

Q: Tell us something interesting about you as a person that people might find surprising.

A: I am a vegetarian.

Marisa Marquez

Question: What is your top priority for your first legislative session?

Answer: Learning the legislative process and building relationships with all of my colleagues - especially those who share the same district needs, which are access to health care for seniors and children, public education and higher education.

Q: What message do you hope to convey about El Paso while in Austin?

A: El Pasoans have the same needs as all other Texans, and our delegation is ready to work on substantive solutions to addressing these needs. Access to health care and education are issues in desperate need of funding not only for District 77 but for El Paso as a whole.

Q: Who will you look to as a mentor/role model?

A: Many of the senior House and Senate Democratic leaders have been extremely encouraging. As far as styles, I am looking forward to seeing these legislators work on the floor and in committees. I already have some favorites picked out, but I am waiting to experience it all before I name a role model.

Q: What are you looking forward to about serving in the Legislature?

A: Witnessing the entire process: having your bill read on the floor, moved through committees and then, hopefully, onto the floor for a vote - all the while knowing that it was my district that gave me the privilege to be an active participant in this process for their benefit.

Q: What do you consider the biggest factor that contributed to your election victory?

A: Persistence and the commitment from others. When many said I had no chance, my family, Rep. Norma Chávez, (D-El Paso), Lilia Ruiz and countless other friends stayed committed to the campaign to the very end. Many of them put in hours and hours of organizational work, while I stayed focus not on the odds of beating a 40-year incumbent, but on the fact that District 77 deserved more. My seven-month commitment to walking every precinct is a testament of how hard I will work in the Legislature.

Q: What can you learn from the legislator who preceded you?

A: Strong principles. Moreno is a man who holds strong principles of equality and justice.

Q: Is youth an advantage or disadvantage in the Texas House?

A: I do not think age is an issue. Experience comes with time and application. From the little that I have witnessed in the past eight months, people respect legislators that work smart and hard for their districts and do it with integrity and respect for others. Age does not play a factor in that.

Q: What lessons from the campaign might help you in Austin?

A: Communication is key. Just like I needed to communicate my reasons and qualifications for becoming a candidate in the campaign, I need to continue this dialogue with my constituents regarding the work we are doing in Austin.

Q: The speaker question will be your first big decision. What are you looking for in the candidates and how are you handling the pressure?

A: I want to support a candidate who will be equitable and fair to all of his/her colleagues, someone who is open to understanding the needs of the different districts. Again, the interest of my community is the priority; if there is any pressure, it is to make the best decision on their behalf.

Q: Tell us something interesting about you as a person that people might find surprising.

A: While at Notre Dame, I worked on research that focused on the border, primarily on the spiritual experience of immigration. My research looked beyond the economic and legal issues and examined the migrant journey from a theological and spiritual perspective. It allowed me the opportunity to examine my community, culture and background from the outside looking in. It was a great experience.