James Cargas

Education

In 1992, he graduated from the American University Washington College of Law where he served as President of the Environmental Law Society and Articles" Editor of The American University Journal of International Law and Policy.

Career

Upon graduation, he worked first in a large law firm and later as environmental counsel to a major interstate pipeline company. He is admitted to practice law in Texas, Washington District of Columbia, Michigan and West Virginia. He left the private sector and joined the Clinton White House and the President's Council on Sustainable Development.

After leaving the White House to work on the First Rate (at Lloyd's) Gore Presidential primary campaign in Washington District of Columbia, Iowa and Texas, Cargas rejoined the administration as a Special Assistant in the United States. Department of Energy in the Office of Fossil Energy under Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson.

He also served as the Energy Department"s liaison to the President"s Southwest Border Task Force. He was awarded the of the Department of Energy He permanently moved to Houston and became Deputy Director of the non-profit organization North American Energy Standards Board.

After three years, he returned to private practice where he represented several startup companies in the energy marketing, directional drilling, and other industries. In 2008, Houston Mayor Bill White hired Cargas as the Senior Assistant City Attorney for Energy of the City of Houston responsible for advising the Mayor on all aspects of energy procurement and energy transactional matters.

Today, he works for Mayor Annise Parker in the same function and also advises the City on contract, environmental, real estate and regulatory matters.

Cargas is married to Doctor Dorina Papageorgiou, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Cargas ran in the 2012 election for the United States House of Representatives, in Texas" 7th Congressional District. Cargas received 36.43% of the vote against incumbent John Culberson (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.

He has been endorsed by the Houston Chronicle, The National Herald, NEO Magazine, and Washington Monthly.

The Texas House of Representatives district maps were the subject of courtroom battles in the lead up to the 2012 election. Although the federal court rejected maps drawn by the State Legislature due to racial discrimination, the final court-appointed maps included several of the original boundaries at the request of the Texas attorney general.

The 7th District lost Memorial Park, Montrose, Spring Branch and Rice University to the 2nd District. Cargas campaigned on a platform consisting of the following central issues: Increasing federal funding for science and biotechnology.

His positions are included in Research!America.

Comprehensive national energy policy Protecting social safety nets Protecting women's rights Enacting comprehensive immigration reform Supporting public transportation In the general election on November 4, 2014 Cargas received 34.55% of the vote against incumbent John Culberson (R).

Achievements

• He won the Democratic nomination for Texas" 7th Congressional District after a contested primary. Cargas won the Democratic nomination in the 2014 Democratic Primary for Texas" 7th Congressional District with 62.2% of the vote following an endorsement by the Houston Chronicle.

Membership

In 1988 after graduating from the University of Michigan with a double major in English and Communications, James Cargas became the Deputy Press Secretary to David Bonior, then Member of the United States. House of Representatives from Michigan"s 12th Congressional District. Cargas is a founding member of the Oil Patch Democrats, a Texas-based political organization promoting "realistic energy policy" and Democratic candidates.