Gene Wu

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Gene Wu
Wu in 2017
Minority Leader of the Texas House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2025
Preceded by	Trey Martinez Fischer
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 137th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2013
Preceded by	Scott Hochberg
Personal details
Born	Eugene Yuanzhi Wu (1978-03-23) March 23, 1978 (age 47) Guangzhou, China
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Shu Xie ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Education	Texas A&M University (BS) University of Texas at Austin (MPA) South Texas College of Law (JD)
Signature
Website000000	Campaign website

Eugene Yuanzhi Wu (Chinese: 吳元之; pinyin: Wú Yuánzhī) is an American lawyer and politician who is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, serving since 2013. Since January 2025, he has served as chair of the Democratic caucus.^[1][2] He was formerly a prosecutor for Harris County.^[3]

Wu was born in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, China.^[4] Shortly after, his family immigrated to the United States and lived in Odessa, Texas, before moving to Sharpstown, a neighborhood in Southwest Houston. He attended Ed White Elementary, Fondren Middle School, and St. Thomas Episcopal School.

Wu received a B.S. from Texas A&M University, a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School for Public Affairs^[5] at the University of Texas at Austin, and earned a J.D. degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston.^[6]

Wu was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2012. His time as a State Representative has been focused on issues concerning education, criminal justice, public safety and child welfare. He is currently a member of the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, as well as the House Committee on Appropriations. Following his first legislative session he received the Sierra Club's New Leadership in Environmental Protection Award, and was also named Freshman of the Year by the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.^[6]

In 2024, Wu supported an executive order by Greg Abbott that ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest those attempting to conduct influence operations supporting Operation Fox Hunt to coerce dissidents to return to China.^[7][8]

In August 2025, Greg Abbott challenged Wu's right to hold legislative office in a petition to the Supreme Court of Texas, arguing that Wu forfeited his office after facilitating a quorum break in response to proposed redistricting that would give Republican legislators an advantage in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections.^[9]

Wu is married to Miya Shay (a reporter for ABC 13 in Houston, Texas) and has two children.^[6][4]

He has served as a tutor for at-risk youths in the Grad-Lab and Twilight programs at Sharpstown High School and as a mentor for adults with the nonprofit, Skills 4 Living. Wu has been a volunteer and trainer for Neighborhood Centers Inc. In that capacity, he conducts monthly workshops where he has helped several thousand Harris County residents become United States citizens.^[3]

• History of Chinese Americans in Houston

• Legislative page
• Profile at Vote Smart