Lawyer, legislator, lobbyist … actor? Yes, our Democratic candidate for Texas Land Commissioner is something of a renaissance man who is fascinated by energy issues, fine Spanish wine and the possibility of turning out large numbers of first-time Hispanic voters in November.

A lawyer for 37 years, Uribe served the Brownsville area for nearly a decade in the Texas Senate and three years in the Texas House. He has been a legislative consultant for many years, too, representing subdivisions, trade associations and non-profits. He also manages a small family ranch, which he describes as “330 acres in the middle of nowhere,” in Zapata County.

After launching his current campaign, he stopped pursuing his acting career — which most recently featured a notable role as “the sleazy guy in the three-piece suit” in the 2007 Coen Brothers film “No Country for Old Men.”

Now based in Austin in a cozy office a stone’s throw from the Capitol, Uribe talked with us in his office on a hot, rainy day that did not dampen his enthusiasm for the statewide task at hand.

QUESTION: It’s mid-July. How are you feeling about the campaign right now?
URIBE: Since the convention, I’ve been feeling quite positive. I have people volunteering in places like Corpus Christi, McAllen and Brownsville. Corpus is a linchpin that went red in the last cycle, but I just feel it will be different now. Ours is a nascent organization with people who have been reinvigorating the party. I’m feeling a lot of energy and enthusiasm in Nueces County.

QUESTION: How did you happen to decide to run for Land Commissioner?
URIBE: I’ve spoken about this quite openly. I was recruited to run to turn out the Hispanic vote. I was retired from politics, but they called on Christmas Eve and asked me to run. I believe they were thinking holistically. They hope to create a synergy where the sum is greater than the individual parts. I think I will attract supporters that Bill White might not.

The persuasive arguments for me were that Linda Chavez-Thompson is running (for lieutenant governor), and Bill White has a real chance to be elected governor. In fact, I’m sure he will win. He is as representative of Texas as anyone I can think of.

QUESTION: Turning out the Hispanic vote is a major challenge for Texas Democrats, isn’t it? What are your thoughts about boosting that segment of the voting population in our state?
URIBE: Well, it is a changing demographic. There tends to be more participation now by minorities who are casting straight-party ballots. It’s a rising tide that lifts all ships. I will win if we get straight-party votes in urban areas, along the border and in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Valley is more technology-driven than the rest of South Texas, and it’s transitioning from rural to a major urban area. In many ways, it’s a sprawling megalopolis. There are about 35,000 students in the area, and many of us feel that students are the foundation for a new Democratic majority in Texas.

The message is out there, but we have to be activists. We need to do our part in bringing out the vote. If we increase the Hispanic vote by 3 to 4 percent, we will win. So our focus will be on registering these new younger voters. Governor Perry has led the march for de-regulation of tuition, and students today feel their college educations are at risk. We hope students — and teachers — will turn out for us.

QUESTION: So what exactly does the Land Commissioner do, and what do you bring to the office?
URIBE: The Land Commissioner makes money for the state – through land, oil, gas and fossil fuel properties. We will experience diminishing returns with oil and gas in the future. We need to quickly transition to the 21st century sources of wind, solar and geothermal.

I’ve always been interested in energy issues. (Uribe ran for Rail Road Commissioner in 1996). Our goal is to lead the General Land Office from the 20th-century hydrocarbon-based energy sources to 21st-century renewable energy sources. Jerry Patterson has been in office for 7 years, and that transition hasn’t happened. We can do better. Texas needs to be the nation’s energy leader — to create jobs in clean energy and to make money for the Permanent School Fund. We can do that, but we need to move quickly.