U.S. House, Texas - 23rd District
Southwest -- south and northwest San Antonio and suburbs, Del Rio
Race Forecast: Leans Democratic
2006:
Aided by a Supreme Court ruling that mandated a greater Hispanic presence in this southwestern Texas district, Rodriguez’s victory over Bonilla in a December 2006 runoff election added insult to injury for Republicans and brought Democratic House gains that election year to an even 30 seats. Rodriguez has a political base in southern San Antonio, which is heavily Hispanic and leans Democratic, but the district at-large is more likely than not to back Arizona Sen.
Race Information
- Incumbent: Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, D
- First Elected: 1997 (4th full term)
- Last Elected: 2006 (19.87%)
- Incumbent Status: Running for re-election
- Race Forecast: Leans Democratic
District Information
Politics in America District Profile
Larger than most states east of the Mississippi River, the 23rd takes in more than 700 miles of border with Mexico along the Rio Grande River, skimming El Paso in the west and reaching as far east as San Antonio, the district’s population center. Nearly 60 percent of residents live in San Antonio or in surrounding Bexar County.
The 23rd was the focal point of a legal challenge to a 2004 Republican-drawn congressional map. The Supreme Court in June 2006 upheld nearly all of the 2004 map, but invalidated the 23rd on the grounds that its 55 percent Hispanic population was insufficient to meet federal Voting Rights Act protections for racial and ethnic minorities.
A federal court in August 2006 restored the 23rd’s Hispanic population to 65 percent by moving the heavily Hispanic south side of San Antonio into the 23rd from the adjacent 28th. These alterations lessened the 23rd’s GOP tilt: where Republican Gov. Rick Perry in 2006 would have won by 15 points under the 23rd’s 2004 configuration, he carried the redrawn 23rd by just 3.5 points. South San Antonio’s Democratic lean contrasts with the Republican, mostly white areas in the city’s north and in its suburbs.
Maverick and Val Verde counties are overwhelmingly Hispanic areas on the 23rd’s southern border, which includes some of the nation’s poorest areas. Seasonal employment, an influx of immigrants and an abundance of cheaper Mexican labor contribute to high unemployment, although an increase in trade and manufacturing has benefited the area. In San Antonio, a $1.2 billion Toyota Tundra plant that opened in 2006 employs nearly 2,000 people, but the area economy took a hit from the 2005 BRAC round, which ordered the Air Force’s Brooks City-Base closed by 2011.
Major Industry
Agriculture, trade, tourism, defense
Military Bases
Laughlin Air Force Base, 1,420 military, 1,800 civilian (2007); Brooks City-Base (Air Force), 1,297 military, 1,268 civilian (2005)
Cities
San Antonio (pt.), 294,335; Del Rio, 33,867; Eagle Pass, 22,413
Notable
Texas’ largest county, Brewster, is roughly 6,200 square miles.
- Demographics (2000 census)
- Population: 651,620
- Under 18: 29.6%
- Over 65: 11.0%
- Married: 61.1%
- Non-Hispanic White: 41%
- Black: 2%
- Hispanic: 55%
- Asian: 1%
- Foreign Born: 15.8%
- Language other than English: 50.9%
- Median Household Income: 38,081
- Owner Occupied Housing: 70.4%
- Income above $200k: 2.5
- Workforce/Education (2000 census)
- White Collar: 63.3%
- Blue Collar: 21.4%
- Services: 15.3%
- Bachelor's Degree: 26%
- Graduate Education: 9.9%
- Civilian Veterans: 59,336
| Year | Election | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | general | Ciro Rodriguez (D) | 133,900 | 55.8% |
| Lyle Larson (R) | 100,648 | 41.9% | ||
| Lani Connolly (LIBERT) | 5,564 | 2.3% | ||
| 2006 | general runoff | Ciro Rodriguez (D) | 38,256 | 54.3% |
| Henry Bonilla (R) | 32,217 | 45.7% | ||
| 2006 | general | Henry Bonilla (R) | 60,175 | 48.6% |
| Ciro Rodriguez (D) | 24,594 | 19.9% | ||
| Albert Uresti (D) | 14,552 | 11.8% | ||
| Lukin Gilliland (D) | 13,728 | 11.1% | ||
| Craig Stephens (I) | 3,341 | 2.7% | ||
| August Beltran (D) | 2,647 | 2.1% | ||
| Rick Bolanos (D) | 2,564 | 2.1% | ||
| Adrian DeLeon (D) | 2,198 | 1.8% | ||
| 2004 | general | Henry Bonilla (R) | 170,716 | 69.3% |
| Joseph Sullivan (D) | 72,480 | 29.4% | ||
| Nazirite Perez (LIBERT) | 3,307 | 1.3% | ||
| 2002 | general | Henry Bonilla (R) | 77,573 | 51.5% |
| Henry Cuellar (D) | 71,067 | 47.2% | ||
| Jeffrey Blunt (LIBERT) | 1,106 | 0.7% | ||
| Ed Scharf (GREEN) | 806 | 0.5% | ||
| Year | Democrat | Republican | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Kerry: 35% | George W. Bush: 64% | |
| 2000 | Al Gore: 36% | George W. Bush: 64% |
Campaign Finance Details for the 2008 Race
| Filers | Through | Total Receipts | Total Disbursements | Total From PACs | Total From Individuals | Ending Cash | Debts Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CANSECO, FRANCISCO 'QUICO' (R) | September 30, 2008 | $1,102,385.00 | $1,069,212.00 | $188,767.00 | $32,343.00 | $910,805.00 | |
| DELEON, ADRIAN (D) | December 31, 2006 | ||||||
| RODRIGUEZ, CIRO D. (D) | November 24, 2008 | $2,333,425.00 | $2,300,671.00 | $145,000.00 | $990,311.00 | $126,337.00 | $2,139.00 |
| URESTI, ALBERT (D) | December 31, 2007 | $21.00 | $516.00 | ||||
| BONILLA, HENRY (R) | November 24, 2008 | $832,529.00 | $1,703,763.00 | $260,052.00 | $84,290.00 | ||
| YANTA, VIRGIL WILLIAM (D) | September 30, 2006 | $6,760.00 | $17,200.00 | ||||
| BELTRAN, AUGUST GARZA "AUGIE" (D) | December 31, 2006 | $1,273.00 | $17,820.00 | ||||
| GILLILAND, LUKIN T JR (D) | December 31, 2007 | $19,412.00 | $19,163.00 | $3,600.00 | |||
| LARSON, LYLE (R) | November 24, 2008 | $814,616.00 | $803,714.00 | $44,050.00 | $699,107.00 | $10,900.00 | |
| MCGRODY, JAMES JOHN (R) | November 1, 2007 | $11,872.00 | $11,872.00 | $6,425.00 | |||
