Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is a majority

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

district and has been represented by Republican

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. The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas' border with

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, north of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

. It stretches from western

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

, 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 Big Bend National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topograph ...

and

Big Bend Ranch State Park Big Bend Ranch State Park is a state park located on the Rio Grande in Brewster and Presidio counties, Texas. It is the largest state park in Texas. The closest major town is Presidio, Texas. The state park's head office is located in Lajitas, ...

. The 2010s iteration of this district was the only one in the U.S. to vote for the Republican candidate for President in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, flip to the Democratic presidential candidate in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, and then flip back to the Republican candidate in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Recent election results from statewide races

Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities: Bexar County (12) : Cross Mountain, Fair Oaks Ranch, Grey Forest, Helotes,

Lackland AFB Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas, United States. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of ...

Macdona Macdona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Bexar County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 559. Macdona lies along the Union Pacific rail line near Loop 1604 in southwest Bexar County. ...

(part; also 20th, 21st, 28th,

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

; shared with Comal and

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

counties), Scenic Oaks,

Shavano Park Shavano Park is a city located in Bexar County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,524, an increase over the figure of 3,035 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area, despite ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, Timberwood Park, Von Ormy Brewster County (4) : All 4 communities Crane County (1) : Crane Crockett County (1) : Ozona Culberson County (1) : Van Horn Dimmit County (6) : All 6 communities Edwards County (2) : Barksdale, Rocksprings El Paso County (13) : Agua Dulce, Butterfield,

Clint Clint may refer to: * Clint (name), a given name and a surname Places *Clint, North Yorkshire, a village in England *Clint, Texas, a town in the United States Fictional characters * Clint Barton, a superhero in American comic books published by ...

(part; also 16th), Fabens,

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

(part; also 16th), Homestead Meadows North, Homestead Meadows South, Horizon City (part; also 16th),

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

San Elizario San Elizario is a city in El Paso County, Texas, United States. Its population was 10,116 at the 2020 census. It is part of the El Paso metropolitan statistical area. It lies on the Rio Grande, which forms the border between the United States a ...

, Socorro (part; also 16th), Tornillo Frio County (6) : All 6 communities Hudspeth County (4) : All 4 communities Jeff Davis County (2) : Fort Davis, Valentine Kinney County (3) : All 3 communities La Salle County (3) : All 3 communities Loving County (1) : Mentone Maverick County (13) : All 13 communities Medina County (9) : All 9 communities Pecos County (5) : All 5 communities Presidio County (3) : All 3 communities Reagan County (1) : Big Lake Schleicher County (1) : Eldorado Sutton County (1) :

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

Terrell County (1) : Sanderson Upton County (2) : McCamey, Rankin Uvalde County (5) : All 5 communities Val Verde County (7) : All 7 communities Ward County (7) : All 7 communities Winkler County (3) : All 3 communities Zavala County (6) : All 6 communities

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 movem ...

of 1965. In addition, it followed the case of ''

Wesberry v. Sanders ''Wesberry v. Sanders'', 376 U.S. 1 (1964), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that districts in the United States House of Representatives must be approximately equal in population. Along with '' Baker v. Carr'' (1 ...

,'' 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 State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. 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 p ...

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 Henry Bonilla (born January 2, 1954) is an American politician and former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Rodriguez, ...

beat 4-term incumbent

Albert Bustamante Albert Garza Bustamante (April 8, 1935 – November 30, 2021) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 23rd district. A Democrat, he served as a member and one-time Cha ...

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 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, 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 Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar ( ; born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district extends from the Rio Grande to San Ant ...

, came within 2 points of unseating him.

2004 election

During the

2003 Texas redistricting 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, the Republican-controlled

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 Ame ...

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 The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

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 refu ...

'' 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 move ...

, 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

2024 election

List of members representing the district

References

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 1967 establishments in Texas