Michael Apodaca, a lifelong resident of Central El Paso, was raised by his mother, Gloria, a respected realtor. His early exposure to her business, from accompanying her to open houses to assisting in promoting her work, instilled in him the value of hard work. This upbringing, coupled with his extensive travels across the state, organizing and engaging people in the political process, reflects his deep-rooted connection with the community.

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Being involved in numerous service organizations during his younger years was the spark Michael needed to start his journey in public service. After graduating from Austin High School in 1999, Michael attended the University of Texas at El Paso and graduated in 2007 with a BA in Political Science.

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At UTEP, Michael decided that students needed to be more politically active. He took the initiative to address this problem by founding the University Democrats. The group aimed to encourage young people to get more involved in their community, which was accomplished through multiple initiatives. From becoming active in local elections, registering voters, or demonstrating against ASARCO's re-opening, he led this coalition of students to reach the highest honors and recognitions at UTEP and the Democratic Party. 

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Through this, El Paso Democrats entrusted Michael with representing the Democratic Party in Austin from 2004 to 2010 as a State Democratic Executive Committeeman. Due to his strong leadership and dedication, he was also elected Treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party in 2012. 

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Michael has been a volunteer and staff on numerous local and state campaigns. One of Michael's most prominent campaign work occurred in 2012 when tapped to be the State Field Director for Organizing for America, President Obama's grassroots campaign for re-election. Since then, Michael has managed campaigns from school board to electing one of the first Latina Congresswomen in Texas by running Veronica Escobar's field program for her first congressional run in 2018. Michael has helped elect numerous El Paso candidates at every level. 

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In addition to his political work, Michael is a newly appointed board member of the Borderland Rainbow Center, El Paso’s LGBTQ+ community center, in 2024. The Center serves the El Paso community with needed resources, advocacy, and social and legal services for the El Paso LGBTQ+ community.

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In 2022, Michael decided to run for County Chair for the El Paso County Democratic Party and won without opposition. Since then, he has increased the number of our sustaining members, led an exciting internship program to bring more Young Democrats involved, and continued to move our county party forward. He will serve his second term as chair starting in 2024.