Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. It is a majority
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
district and has been represented by
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Tony Gonzales
Ernest Anthony Gonzales II (born October 10, 1980) is an American politician and United States Navy veteran who has served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2 ...
since 2021.
Election results from statewide races
The 23rd district of Texas was the only congressional district in the United States to vote ''against'' the national electoral vote winner at the Presidential level in each of 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Geography
The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas' border with
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, north of the
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
. It stretches from western
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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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 of 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
Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...
and
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Big Bend Ranch State Park is a state park located on the Rio Grande in Brewster County, Texas, Brewster and Presidio County, Texas, Presidio counties, Texas. It is the largest state park in Texas. The closest major town is Presidio, Texas, wher ...
.
Demographics
According to th
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.
Election results
Elections from 1967 to 1992
This district was created in 1967, following passage of the
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights m ...
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
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...
created the new , 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
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, when the former Democratic
Texas Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas ...
,
Henry Cuellar, came within 2 points of unseating him.
2004 election
During the
2003 Texas redistricting
The 2003 Texas redistricting refers to a controversial mid-decade state plan that defined new congressional districts. In the 2004 elections, this redistricting supported the Republicans taking a majority of Texas's House seats for the first ...
, the Republican-controlled
Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...
shifted most of
Laredo, which had been one of the bases of the 23rd from the beginning, into the . Several heavily Republican suburbs in the
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Americ ...
north of San Antonio were shifted into the 23rd district, all but ensuring Bonilla of a seventh term.
2006 election
Following the
U.S. Supreme Court ruling in ''
League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry
''League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry'', 548 U.S. 399 (2006), is a Supreme Court of the United States case in which the Court ruled that only District 23 of the 2003 Texas redistricting violated the Voting Rights Act. The Court refuse ...
'' which found that the 23rd district violated the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights m ...
, the district was redrawn.
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.
2012 election
2014 election
2016 election
2018 election
2020 election
2022 election
List of members representing the district
See also
*
List of United States congressional districts
Congressional districts in the United States are electoral divisions for the purpose of electing members of the United States House of Representatives. The number of voting seats in the House of Representatives is currently set at 435, with ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
"Court nixes part of Texas political map"
{{coord, 30, 23, 21, N, 102, 19, 36, W, region:US_type:city_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title
23
Laredo, Texas