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Incumbent Rep. Will Hurd (R) defeated Gina Ortiz Jones (D) and Ruben Corvalan (L) in the general election for Texas' 23rd Congressional District on November 6, 2018.
This district was one of three Republican-held U.S. House districts in Texas which Hillary Clinton won in 2016, and one of 25 nationwide. In 2012, incumbent Pete Gallego (D) defeated Francisco Canseco (R) by five percentage points. In 2014, the seat flipped back to Republicans when Hurd defeated Gallego by 2.1 percentage points. In a 2016 rematch, Hurd narrowly defeated Gallego by 1.3 percentage points.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.
Texas' 23rd Congressional District general election
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Will Hurd | Gina Ortiz Jones | Unsure | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYT Upshot/Siena College October 13-18, 2018 | The New York Times | 53% | 38% | 9% | +/-5 | 488 |
| NYT Upshot/Siena College September 10-11, 2018 | The New York Times | 51% | 43% | 7% | +/-5 | 495 |
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gina Ortiz Jones | Democratic Party | $6,216,644 | $6,098,298 | $118,346 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| William "Will" Hurd | Republican Party | $5,163,892 | $5,192,901 | $1,138 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Ruben Corvalan | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018.
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Texas' 23rd Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Will Hurd (R) won re-election to his second term, and defeated former Rep. Pete Gallego (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hurd ousted Gallego in the 2014 general election to win the seat. Hurd defeated William Peterson in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016, while Gallego defeated Lee Keenen to win the Democratic nomination. Ruben Corvalan (L) is also seeking election to the seat.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Will Hurd Incumbent |
48.3% | 110,577 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego | 47% | 107,526 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 4.7% | 10,862 | |
| Total Votes | 228,965 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
U.S. House, Texas District 23 Republican Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Will Hurd Incumbent |
82.2% | 39,870 | ||
| William Peterson | 17.8% | 8,628 | ||
| Total Votes | 48,498 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
U.S. House, Texas District 23 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pete Gallego |
88.4% | 43,223 | ||
| Lee Keenen | 11.6% | 5,688 | ||
| Total Votes | 48,911 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
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The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd |
49.8% | 57,459 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego Incumbent | 47.7% | 55,037 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 2.5% | 2,933 | |
| Total Votes | 115,429 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which Pete Gallego (D) won election. He defeated incumbent Francisco Canseco (R), Jeffrey Blunt (L) and Ed Scharf (G) in the general election. This switched partisan control of the district.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Pete Gallego |
50.3% | 96,676 | |
| Republican | Francisco Canseco Incumbent | 45.6% | 87,547 | |
| Libertarian | Jeffrey C. Blunt | 3% | 5,841 | |
| Green | Ed Scharf | 1.1% | 2,105 | |
| Total Votes | 192,169 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Demographic data for Texas
| Texas | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 27,429,639 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 261,232 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.4% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 74.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 11.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,207 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas. | ||
As of July 2016, Texas had a population of approximately 27,862,596 people, and its three largest cities were Houston (pop. est. 2.3 million), San Antonio (pop. est. 1.5 million), and Dallas (pop. est. 1.3 million).
Texas' 23rd Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Will Hurd (R) won re-election to his second term, and defeated former Rep. Pete Gallego (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Hurd ousted Gallego in the 2014 general election to win the seat. Hurd defeated William Peterson in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016, while Gallego defeated Lee Keenen to win the Democratic nomination. Ruben Corvalan (L) is also seeking election to the seat.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd Incumbent |
48.3% | 110,577 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego | 47% | 107,526 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 4.7% | 10,862 | |
| Total Votes | 228,965 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
U.S. House, Texas District 23 Republican Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Will Hurd Incumbent |
82.2% | 39,870 | ||
| William Peterson | 17.8% | 8,628 | ||
| Total Votes | 48,498 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
U.S. House, Texas District 23 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pete Gallego |
88.4% | 43,223 | ||
| Lee Keenen | 11.6% | 5,688 | ||
| Total Votes | 48,911 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Will Hurd |
49.8% | 57,459 | |
| Democratic | Pete Gallego Incumbent | 47.7% | 55,037 | |
| Libertarian | Ruben Corvalan | 2.5% | 2,933 | |
| Total Votes | 115,429 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which Pete Gallego (D) won election. He defeated incumbent Francisco Canseco (R), Jeffrey Blunt (L) and Ed Scharf (G) in the general election. This switched partisan control of the district.
U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Pete Gallego |
50.3% | 96,676 | |
| Republican | Francisco Canseco Incumbent | 45.6% | 87,547 | |
| Libertarian | Jeffrey C. Blunt | 3% | 5,841 | |
| Green | Ed Scharf | 1.1% | 2,105 | |
| Total Votes | 192,169 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
