At the end of the legislative session, the House Democratic Caucus voted her freshman of the year.
The seat had been vacated by Shelley Sekula-Gibbs when she won an earlier election to complete the term of Congressman Tom DeLay after he resigned from office.
Noriega, a Democrat, lost to Republican Don Sumners, a former Harris County Tax Assessor Collector.
[7] Following State Representative Carol Alvarado's elevation to the Texas Senate in a special election on December 11, 2018, Noriega became a candidate in an eight-way race for Texas House District 145, the district she represented for several months while her then-husband, Rick Noriega was deployed to Afghanistan.
[8] In the January 29, 2019 special election, Noriega finished second behind Houston Planning Commissioner and funeral-home CEO Christina Morales, necessitating a runoff to pick the eventual winner.