| Texas's 23rd congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  .svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries | |
| Representative | |
| Distribution |
|
| Population (2024) | 806,011[2] |
| Median household income | $81,908[2] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+7[3] |
Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion ofTexas. It is a majorityHispanic district and has been represented byRepublicanTony Gonzales since 2021.
The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas' border withMexico, north of theRio Grande. It stretches from westernSan Antonio toEl 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 ofBig Bend National Park andBig Bend Ranch State Park.
The 2010s iteration of this district was the only one in the U.S. to vote for the Republican candidate for President in2012, flip to the Democratic presidential candidate in2016, and then flip back to the Republican candidate in2020.[4]
| Year | Office | Results[5] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 53% - 46% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 56% - 44% |
| 2014 | Senate | Cornyn 65% - 35% |
| Governor | Abbott 61% - 39% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 50% - 45% |
| 2018 | Senate | Cruz 51% - 49% |
| Governor | Abbott 56% - 42% | |
| Lt. Governor | Patrick 52% - 46% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 50% - 47% | |
| Comptroller of Public Accounts | Hegar 52% - 44% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 53% - 46% |
| Senate | Cornyn 54% - 43% | |
| 2022 | Governor | Abbott 54% - 44% |
| Lt. Governor | Patrick 54% - 43% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 53% - 44% | |
| Comptroller of Public Accounts | Hegar 56% - 41% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 57% - 42% |
| Senate | Cruz 53% - 44% |
| Year | Office | Results[6] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 56% - 43% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 58% - 42% |
| 2014 | Senate | Cornyn 67% - 33% |
| Governor | Abbott 63% - 37% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 51% - 44% |
| 2018 | Senate | Cruz 51% - 48% |
| Governor | Abbott 57% - 41% | |
| Lt. Governor | Patrick 52% - 45% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 51% - 46% | |
| Comptroller of Public Accounts | Hegar 54% - 42% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 53% - 46% |
| Senate | Cornyn 54% - 43% | |
| 2022 | Governor | Abbott 54% - 44% |
| Lt. Governor | Patrick 54% - 43% | |
| Attorney General | Paxton 53% - 44% | |
| Comptroller of Public Accounts | Hegar 56% - 41% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 57% - 42% |
| Senate | Cruz 53% - 45% |
For the118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:[7]
BexarCounty(12)
CraneCounty(1)
DimmitCounty(6)
El PasoCounty(13)
FrioCounty(6)
KinneyCounty(3)
LovingCounty(1)
MaverickCounty(13)
MedinaCounty(9)
PecosCounty(5)
ReaganCounty(1)
SuttonCounty(1)
UptonCounty(2)
UvaldeCounty(5)
WardCounty(7)
ZavalaCounty(6)
According to theAPM 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.
This district was created in 1967, following passage of theVoting Rights Act of 1965. In addition, it followed the case ofWesberry v. Sanders, resulting in Texas's previous congressional map being tossed out.Democrats held the district until 1993.
Following the 1990 census, in 1992, theTexas Legislature created the new28th 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. RepublicanHenry Bonilla beat 4-term incumbentAlbert 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 until2002, when the former DemocraticTexas Secretary of State,Henry Cuellar, came within 2 points of unseating him.
During the2003 Texas redistricting, the Republican-controlledTexas Legislature shifted most ofLaredo, which had been one of the bases of the 23rd from the beginning, into the28th district. Several heavily Republican suburbs in theTexas 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 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | +17.8 | |||
Following theU.S. Supreme Court ruling inLeague of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry which found that the 23rd district violated theVoting 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 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | Swing | 24.5 | |||
The National Republican Congressional Committee targeted Texas's 23rd congressional district to try to regain it, and strongly supported the Republican campaign financially.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Quico Canseco | 74,671 | 49.38 | ||
| Democratic | Ciro Rodriguez (incumbent) | 67,212 | 44.44 | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | 141,883 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| 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 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tony Gonzales (incumbent) | 180,720 | 62.30 | |
| Democratic | Santos Limon | 109,373 | 37.70 | |
| Total votes | 290,093 | 100.00 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
30°23′21″N102°19′36″W / 30.38917°N 102.32667°W /30.38917; -102.32667
