Gene Wu

Wu was born in the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China, and immigrated to the United States with his family as a young child.^[7][8] His family first lived in Odessa, Texas, before settling in southwest Houston, including the Sharpstown community area.^[9][10]

Wu attended Ed White Elementary School, Fondren Middle School, and St. Thomas' Episcopal School, all in Houston.^[1][6] He received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law Houston.^[5][1]

Wu was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2012 to represent District 137, a diverse, heavily urban district in southwest Houston that includes parts of Sharpstown and Alief.^[1][11] He took office on January 8, 2013, succeeding longtime Democratic representative Scott Hochberg, and has been re‑elected in each subsequent cycle.^[12][1]

Wu’s legislative work has focused on public education, juvenile justice and criminal justice reform, child welfare, and issues affecting immigrant communities, particularly in Houston’s southwest corridor.^[8][13] Commentators have noted his frequent role in debates over immigration enforcement, voting and redistricting legislation, and proposals affecting Asian American and other minority communities in Texas.^[3][14]

In the 89th Legislature, Wu serves as vice chair of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and sits on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles I, IV, and V, and select and standing committees related to redistricting and congressional maps.^[15][16] In prior sessions he has served on committees including Human Services, Energy Resources, Elections, County Affairs, Juvenile Justice and Family Issues, and Pensions, Investments and Financial Services.^[17]

In December 2024 House Democrats chose Wu to lead their caucus for the 89th Legislature, replacing Trey Martinez Fischer as chair.^[3][18] As caucus chair, he led a 2025 walkout by House Democrats during a special session on mid‑decade congressional redistricting, denying the chamber a quorum and briefly delaying passage of Republican‑backed maps.^[19][20]

Governor Greg Abbott subsequently filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court of Texas seeking Wu’s removal from office, arguing that his absence and the quorum break amounted to abandoning his duties; Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Republican officials pursued related legal actions against Democratic members.^[21][22] Wu and the other absent Democrats returned to Austin later that month for a subsequent special session, after which new congressional maps were approved and signed into law, prompting further redistricting battles and litigation in Texas and other states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.^[23][24]

Committee positions

Source:^[25]

Current

• Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Articles I, IV, and V
• Congressional Redistricting, Select
• Criminal Jurisprudence (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice
• Redistricting

Previous

• Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Article II
  • Subcommittee on Article III
  • Subcommittee on State Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Investment (Vice Chair)
• County Affairs
• Elections
• Energy Resources
• Federal Environmental Regulation, Select
• Human Services
• Juvenile Justice and Family Issues
• Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services
• Recruitment of Firearms and Ammunition Manufacturers

Wu is married to Miya Shay, a television journalist for ABC 13 in Houston, Texas.^[26][27] The couple married in 2012 and have two sons.^[28][29]

• History of Chinese Americans in Houston