State of Texas
State Representative, District 148
Penny Morales Shaw
Democratic Incumbent- On ballot as
- PENNY MORALES SHAW
- Current role
- State Representative, Texas House District 148 (since January 12, 2021); attorney
- Background
- Native Houstonian; attended Houston public schools
- Attorney
- Worked for a civil rights law firm, later opened her own practice (per campaign)
- Raised four children as a single mother while managing a multi-state law practice (per official biography)
- Experience
- Member, House Environmental Regulation and Elections committees (per campaign)
- "Freshman of the Year", Mexican American Legislative Caucus (per official biography)
- Previously Deputy Chief for Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2, overseeing policy and legislative affairs
- Top priorities
- Education: "Protecting public education from government overreaching and under-funding"
- Health care: "Texas must do better with accessible and high quality care—not just for some, but for all"
- Environment: "I am committed to policy measures that align with industry growth while ensuring environmental safety"
- Housing: "Housing security for all Texans is a policy priority"
- Energy: "working to make energy more diversified and reliable in the future"
- Tidbits
- Abortion: Pro Abortion
- Border and immigration: Voted against measures requiring greater local-federal cooperation on immigration enforcement
- Guns: Supports additional restrictions rather than expansive gun rights.
- Public schools and vouchers: "Protecting public education from government overreaching and under-funding is key to retaining certified teachers"
- Property taxes: Supported using state budget surpluses to provide property tax relief for homeowners. Use the Legislature’s surplus to buy down homeowners’ property taxes, and tax exemptions as a tool for taxpayer relief.
Claims and the record- 2025 quorum-break fine: Fined $8,354.25 by the House Administration Committee (April 2026) for the August 2025 quorum break. No response found.
- Endorsements
- Texas AFL-CIO
- Texas AFT
- Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation
- Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
- CLEAT PAC
Show all 15
- Emgage Action
- Sierra Club (listed by campaign)
- Texas Farm Bureau (listed by campaign)
- American Youth for Climate Action (listed by campaign)
- Run Sister Run (listed by campaign)
- Houston Black American Democrats (listed by campaign)
- Our Revolution Texas (listed by campaign)
- Tejano Democrats (listed by campaign)
- Texas State Teachers Association (listed by campaign)
- Houston Federation of Teachers (listed by campaign)
- Campaign website
- voteforpenny.com
Open in the full comparison: Harris County