Texas's 23rd congressional district

Texas's 23rd congressional district is the 8th largest congressional district in the country not counting at-large districts, stretching across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a Latino-majority district and its current Representative is Republican Quico Canseco. Congressman Canseco is one of 7 Republicans of Latino heritage presently serving in the United States House of Representatives, and one of 24 Latinos in the House.^[1]

Geography

The district runs along the majority of Texas's border with Mexico, just north of the Rio Grande. While it encompasses numerous county seats and a few towns of regional economic importance, the district is predominantly rural, with no major urban area in the district, although it abuts El Paso at its western point and San Antonio at its eastern point. Its large size is due to its low population density—one of the lowest in the country. It encompasses all of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. Major economic activities in the district include farming, ranching, oil and mineral extraction, recreation and tourism.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, the district contained 651,620 people. Of these, 41% are whites not of Hispanic origin, 55.1% Hispanic, 2% black, and 2.2% other.^[2] The district's population is 74.6% urban.^[3] Per capita Income for the district is $18,692. The district has a 6.5% unemployment rate. Of the employed, 71.8% is private, 19.4% government, and 8.4% self-employed.^[4] Major industries include Retail trade, Education services, Health Care, and Manufacturing. 222,012 households are within the district, with an average of 2.8 persons per household.^[5]

Election results

Elections from 1967 to 1992

This district was created in 1967, after Wesberry v. Sanders resulted in Texas' previous congressional map being tossed out. Democrats held the district until 1993.

Elections from 1992 to 2002

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 San Antonio in the 23rd. Charging 8-year incumbent Albert Bustamante with neglecting the 23rd's needs, Republican Henry Bonilla won by the largest margin of victory against an incumbent that year, and took his seat in 1993.

Even though the 23rd had a slight Democratic lean, Bonilla had a very conservative voting record. Largely because of his popularity in San Antonio, he didn't face a credible challenger until 2002, when 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 drew most of Laredo, which had been one of the bases of the 23rd for its entire existence, into the 28th district. In return, Bonilla received several heavily Republican San Antonio suburbs, all but assuring him of a 7th term.

2006 election

On June 28, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court, in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry ruled that the 23rd District violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The case turned on the fact that the 23rd District was a protected majority-Hispanic district—that is, if the 23rd was ever redrawn in a way to put Hispanics in a minority, a new majority-Hispanic district had to be created. Although Hispanics made up 55 percent of the new 23rd's population, they only made up 46 percent of the new 23rd's voting-age population. Therefore, the Court said, the new 23rd was not a true majority-minority district. The Court found that the new Austin-to-McAllen 25th District was not compact enough to be an acceptable replacement. The Court therefore ruled that the legislature had violated the rights of Hispanic voters.

As a result, on August 4, 2006, a three-judge panel announced replacement district boundaries for the 2006 election in the 23rd district. Due to the 23rd's size, nearly every district along the El Paso-San Antonio corridor had to be redrawn as well.

The new 23rd lost many of the heavily Republican areas it inherited in 2003, as well as the rest of Laredo. However, it received a large portion of heavily Democratic south San Antonio. Further, four other districts were affected: the 28th (represented by Democrat Henry Cuellar), 25th (Democrat Lloyd Doggett), 15th (Democrat Ruben Hinojosa) and 21st (Republican Lamar S. Smith). As a result, on November 7, 2006 (the day of the general election), these five districts held open primaries. If no candidate were to receive as much as 50% of the vote, a runoff election in December would decide the seat.^[6]

In the 23rd, incumbent Bonilla had two significant opponents, both Democrats: Vietnam War veteran Rick Bolanos and former 28th District Congressman Ciro Rodriguez. In the Spring, Bolanos won the now moot 23rd district Democratic primary. Rodriguez lost a primary challenge to Cuellar in the 28th district, which was also vacated, but the redrawing placed Rodriguez' home, along with most of his old base, into the 23rd district. Other candidates in the special election were: retired San Antonio Fire Department district chief Albert Uresti, who is the brother of state Senator Carlos Uresti; Lukin Gilliland, a rancher and businessman from Alamo Heights; Adrian De Leon, the owner of a truck stop in Carrizo Springs that advertises “the best Bar-B-Q in town”; and August Beltran of San Antonio. Craig T. Stephens, an independent candidate, also filed to run.^[7]

Rick Bolanos dropped out of the race on October 19, 2006 and endorsed fellow Democrat Lukin Gilliland.

On November 7, 2006, Henry Bonilla received significantly more votes than any of his challengers, but did not receive 50% of the votes cast. Though none of the Democratic candidates came close to Bonilla individually, as a whole the six Democratic candidates received slightly more votes than Bonilla, the only Republican candidate. However, neither party received more than 50% of the vote because of a third party candidate.

A runoff election was held on December 12, 2006 between Bonilla and Rodriguez, with Rodriguez the winner.^[8]

2010 election

The National Republican Congressional Committee targeted Texas' 23rd Congressional District.^[9] San Antonio businessman Francisco "Quico" Canseco became the Republican nominee for the district after defeating Will Hurd, Robert Lowry, Joseph Mack Gould, and Michael Kueber in the Republican primary.^[10] Canseco won the General Election on November 2, 2010, defeating the incumbent, and took office on January 3, 2011.^[11]

Electoral history

List of representatives

References

External links

• "Court nixes part of Texas political map"
• "Texas redistricting United States Congress"