Lawmaker in hospital, is gravely ill

AUSTIN (AP) — A campaign official says state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. is hospitalized in grave condition near Houston for undisclosed reasons.

Campaign consultant Harold Cook said the Houston Democrat is surrounded by his family, who asked for privacy.

Gallegos, a retired firefighter, has represented Houston's Senate District 6 since 1995. Before that he served two terms in the Texas House.

He earned a reputation for toughness in 2007 when he showed up for a critical vote after undergoing a liver transplant. He set up a hospital bed outside the Senate chamber to make sure he could block a bill that would have required a photo ID to vote.

The Senate passed the bill four years later.

Gallegos ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, but faces Republican R.W. Bray in the November election.