Texas's_23rd_congressional_district
Texas's 23rd congressional district
U.S. House district for Texas
Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a majority Hispanic district and has been represented by Republican Tony Gonzales since 2021.
| Texas's 23rd congressional district | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Texas's 23rd congressional district since January 3, 2023 | |||
| Representative |
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| Distribution |
| ||
| Population (2022) | 778,355[2] | ||
| Median household income | $71,327[2] | ||
| Ethnicity |
| ||
| Cook PVI | R+5[3] | ||
The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas' border with Mexico, north of the Rio Grande. It stretches from western San Antonio to El Paso, encompassing numerous county seats and towns of regional economic importance.
The district is predominantly rural. Campaigning is difficult due to its size and disparate influences; the population density is one of the lowest in any congressional district. Economic activities include farming, ranching, oil, and mineral extraction; also recreation, manufacturing, and tourism, as it encompasses all of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Results under current lines (since 2023)[4]
| Year | Office | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Senate | Cornyn 65 - 35% |
| Governor | Abbott 61 - 39% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 50 - 46% |
| 2018 | Senate | Cruz 51 - 49% |
| Governor | Abbott 56 - 42% | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Patrick 52 - 46% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 50 - 47% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 53 - 46% |
| Senate | Cornyn 54 - 43% | |
| 2022 | Governor | Abbott 54 - 44% |
| Lieutenant Governor | Patrick 54 - 43% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 53 - 44% [5] | |
According to the APM Research Lab's Voter Profile Tools (featuring the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey), the district contained about 511,000 potential voters (citizens, age 18+). Of these, 64% are Latino, while 29% are White. One in ten potential voters were born outside of the U.S., now naturalized citizens. Median income among households (with one or more potential voter) in the district is about $61,800, while 11% of households live below the poverty line. As for the educational attainment of potential voters in the district, 17% of those 25 and older have not earned a high school degree, while 23% hold a bachelor's or higher degree.
Elections from 1967 to 1992
This district was created in 1967, following passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In addition, it followed the case of Wesberry v. Sanders, resulting in Texas's previous congressional map being tossed out. Democrats held the district until 1993.
Elections from 1992 to 2002
Following the 1990 census, in 1992, the Texas Legislature created the new 28th district, mostly from the eastern portion of the 23rd. In the process, the legislature left a heavily Republican section of western San Antonio in the 23rd. Republican Henry Bonilla beat 4-term incumbent Albert Bustamante to take the seat in 1992.
Although the 23rd leaned slightly Democratic on paper, Bonilla had a very conservative voting record. Largely because of his popularity in San Antonio, he did not face a credible challenger until 2002, when the former Democratic Texas Secretary of State, Henry Cuellar, came within 2 points of unseating him.
2004 election
During the 2003 Texas redistricting, the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature shifted most of Laredo, which had been one of the bases of the 23rd from the beginning, into the 28th district. Several heavily Republican suburbs in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio were shifted into the 23rd district, all but ensuring Bonilla of a seventh term.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Henry Bonilla (incumbent) | 170,716 | 69.3 | +17.7 | |
| Democratic | Joe Sullivan | 72,480 | 29.4 | -17.8 | |
| Libertarian | Nazirite Perez | 3,307 | 1.3 | +0.6 | |
| Majority | 98,236 | 39.9 | |||
| Turnout | 246,503 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | +17.8 | |||
2006 election
Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry which found that the 23rd district violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the district was redrawn.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ciro Rodriguez | 38,247 | 54.32% | +25.1 | |
| Republican | Henry Bonilla (Incumbent) | 32,165 | 45.68% | -23.9 | |
| Majority | 6,082 | 8.64% | |||
| Turnout | 68,294 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | 24.5 | |||
2010 election
The National Republican Congressional Committee targeted Texas's 23rd congressional district to try to regain it, and strongly supported the Republican campaign financially.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Quico Canseco | 74,671 | 49.38 | ||
| Democratic | Ciro Rodriguez (incumbent) | 67,212 | 44.44 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | 141,883 | ||||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
2012 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Pete Gallego | 96,477 | 50.33 | |
| Republican | Quico Canseco (incumbent) | 87,255 | 45.52 | |
| Libertarian | Jeffrey C. Blunt | 5,827 | 3.04 | |
| Green | Ed Scharf | 2,099 | 1.09 | |
| Total votes | 191,658 | 100 | ||
2014 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd | 57,459 | 49.8 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego (incumbent) | 55,037 | 47.7 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 2,933 | 2.5 | |
| Total votes | 115,429 | 100 | ||
2016 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd (incumbent) | 110,577 | 48.3 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego | 107,526 | 47.0 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 10,862 | 4.7 | |
| Total votes | 228,965 | 100 | ||
2018 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd (incumbent) | 103,285 | 49.2 | |
| Democratic | Gina Ortiz Jones | 102,359 | 48.7 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 4,425 | 2.1 | |
| Total votes | 210,069 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2020 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tony Gonzales | 149,395 | 50.6 | |
| Democratic | Gina Ortiz Jones | 137,693 | 46.6 | |
| Libertarian | Beto Villela | 8,369 | 2.8 | |
| Total votes | 295,457 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2022 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tony Gonzales (incumbent) | 116,649 | 55.8 | |
| Democratic | John Lira | 80,947 | 38.7 | |
| Independent | Frank Lopez Jr. | 11,180 | 5.3 | |
| Total votes | 208,776 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
- Geography, US Census Bureau. "Congressional Districts Relationship Files (state-based)". www.census.gov.
- Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP), US Census Bureau. "My Congressional District". www.census.gov.
- "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- "TX 2022 Congressional". Dave’s Redistricting App. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- "NRCC Memo Reveals 24 Democratic Targets". Roll Call. March 6, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- "2010 General Election, Election Night Returns, Unofficial Elections Results As Of: 11/3/2010 12:14:58 PM". Texas Secretary of State. November 3, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- "Texas Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- "Texas Election Results: 23rd Congressional District". New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- "District Population Analysis with County Subtotals | CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS - PLANC2100" (PDF). Capitol Data Portal. Texas Legislative Council. August 26, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- "District Population Analysis with County Subtotals | CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS - PLANC2193" (PDF). Capitol Data Portal. Texas Legislative Council. October 17, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- Amber Phillips (September 25, 2020), "The House seats most likely to flip in November", Washingtonpost.com