Terry Canales is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, serving since 2013. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 to represent District 40, which encompasses the heart of Hidalgo County. The cities within District 40 include the cities of Edinburg (Hidalgo County seat), Elsa, César Chávez, Murillo, La Coma Heights, San Carlos, La Blanca, Linn, Lopezville, and portions of McAllen, Pharr, and San Juan.[1]
Terry Canales was born in Hidalgo County and is a native of South Texas. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government from the University of the Incarnate Word. Following in the footsteps of his father Terry A. Canales, a former State District Judge, and his uncle Arnulfo Gonzalez Jr., he graduated from St. Mary's University School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor by the age of 24. Upon passing the Texas State Bar Exam, Canales opened his own law practice in Edinburg, Texas. He specializes in Oil and Gas litigation, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Family Law, Real Estate, and Municipal Law.[1]
His father, Terry A. Canales, was the first Hispanic state representative to represent Jim Wells County, serving from 1973 to 1977.[2] His sister Gabriella "Gabi" Canales served in the Texas House from 2003 to 2005.[3] He is also the sixth member of his extended family to serve in the Texas House of Representatives. Canales's great uncle, José Tomás Canales, was a Brownsville Democrat who served a total of five terms between 1905 and 1921. He was a founding member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and is most famous for defending the Hispanic community against the injustices perpetrated by the Texas Rangers.[4]
Texas House of Representatives
In 2019, Canales was appointed by Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen to serve as Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Transportation, the first Latino to hold that position.[5] In 2021 and again in 2023, he was appointed by Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan to serve as Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Transportation.[6]
In 2025, Canales was appointed by Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows to serve as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Transportation Funding.[7] Canales oversees funding sources, including the State Highway Fund, transportation debt financing, including the Texas Mobility Fund, and alternative transportation funding options.[8]
In 2023, Canales was one of the twelve House impeachment managers in the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas State Senate.[11]
Legislative Committees
Canales is currently serving as a member of the following committees:[12]
Subcommittee on Transportation Funding, Chair
Transportation, Member
Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs, Member
Canales is married to Erica Canales, a realtor and member of the Hidalgo County Tax Appraisal District Board.[20] They have three sons and two daughters.[21]
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