HOUSTON – Greek-American Alex Triantaphyllis is running for Congress in Texas’ 7^th District. An email was recently sent out by one of his most vocal supporters, his wife, Christina who noted, “Next month, it will be 13 years since I first met Alex. We got to know each other over meals in the Wiess College dining hall at Rice University, stumbling over new salsa moves during some of our earliest dates, and in the living rooms of refugee families in Gulfton.”

She continued, “I’ve always known Alex to be someone who works hard to accomplish big goals, someone who pushes for change and makes decisions with an incredible balance of head and heart.”

Local Houston residents shared their thoughts about the candidate in a video posted on Facebook. Triantaphyllis said of the post, “We’re building a campaign for everyone, and we are so grateful to have such wide-ranging support from our community.” He also joked about the pronunciation of his last name which is not difficult or very long by Greek standards. Triantphyllis said, “I hope you’ll watch this video today and join our campaign for #TX07. And don’t worry — you’re not the only one who might still need to learn how to say my last name!”

In the video, his supporters were asked to describe Triantaphyllis in one word. The responses included, “commitment,” “passion,” “positive,” “integrity,” and “energetic.” The supporters also noted that the community needs new leadership and Triantaphyllis has a way of listening to the people that will undoubtedly help bring the community together. The diverse group reflects the diversity of Houston and demonstrates Triantaphyllis’ appeal to a wide range of voters from various backgrounds and ages. The video also included the supporters attempting to say the name Triantaphyllis and most were very successful in their pronunciation.

The devoted family man, community leader, and Houston-native hopes to be the first Democrat in 50 years to represent the 7^th District. A graduate from Rice University with a BA in political science and Hispanic studies, Triantaphyllis completed Masters in Economics coursework in Argentina. He is also a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. The son of a fourth-generation Texan mother and Greek immigrant father, he was born and raised in Houston, a city which has given so much to his family. In an interview with The National Herald, he noted the opportunity to study his father received as an 18 year-old immigrant from Greece with a scholarship to Houston’s Rice University where Triantaphyllis later attended and met his future wife Christina Lagos Triantaphyllis. Christina has roots in Chios on her father’s side and Crete on her mother’s side, and leads public policy and strategy efforts at Collaborative for Children, a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the quality of early childhood education and care in the Houston area. They live in Houston with their infant daughter, Mina, Triantaphyllis told TNH is learning English, Greek, and Spanish.

More information about Alex Triantaphyllis and his campaign is available online at www.alextfortexas.com.