Texas's 23rd congressional district

Template:Use American English Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Hatnote". Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a majority Hispanic district and has been represented by Republican Tony Gonzales since 2021.

The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas' border with Mexico, north of the Rio Grande. It stretches from western San Antonio 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 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 and Big Bend Ranch State Park.

The 2010s iteration of this district was the only one in the U.S. to vote for the Republican candidate for President in 2012, flip to the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, and then flip back to the Republican candidate in 2020.^[1]

Recent election results from statewide races

Year	Office	Results^[2]
2008	President	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|McCain 53% - 46%
2012	President	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Romney 56% - 44%
2014	Senate	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Cornyn 65% - 35%
2014	Governor	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Abbott 61% - 39%
2016	President	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Trump 50% - 45%
2018	Senate	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Cruz 51% - 49%
	Governor	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Abbott 56% - 42%
	Lt. Governor	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Patrick 52% - 46%
	Attorney General	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Paxton 50% - 47%
2020	President	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Trump 53% - 46%
2020	Senate	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Cornyn 54% - 43%
2022	Governor	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Abbott 54% - 44%
	Lt. Governor	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Patrick 54% - 43%
	Attorney General	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Paxton 53% - 44%
	Comptroller of Public Accounts	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Hegar 56% - 41%
2024	President	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Trump 57% - 42%
2024	Senate	align="right" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"\|Cruz 53% - 44%

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:^[3]

Bexar County (12)

Cross Mountain, Fair Oaks Ranch, Grey Forest, Helotes, Lackland AFB, Macdona, San Antonio (part; also 20th, 21st, 28th, 35th; shared with Comal and Medina counties), Scenic Oaks, Shavano Park, Somerset, 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, El Paso (part; also 16th), Fabens, Fort Bliss (part; also 16th), Homestead Meadows North, Homestead Meadows South, Horizon City (part; also 16th), Morning Glory, San Elizario, 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

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 the 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 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 created the new Template:Ushr, 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, when the 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 shifted most of Laredo, which had been one of the bases of the 23rd from the beginning, into the Template:Ushr. Several heavily Republican suburbs in the Texas Hill Country north of San Antonio were shifted into the 23rd district, all but ensuring Bonilla of a seventh term.

2004 Texas's 23rd congressional district election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	<templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />±%Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
	Script error: No such module "Political party".	Henry Bonilla (incumbent)	170,716	69.3	Script error: No such module "String".
	Script error: No such module "Political party".	Joe Sullivan	72,480	29.4	Script error: No such module "String".
	Script error: No such module "Political party".	Nazirite Perez	3,307	1.3	Script error: No such module "String".
Majority			98,236	39.9	Script error: No such module "String".
Turnout			246,503		Script error: No such module "String".
	Script error: No such module "Political party". hold		Swing	+17.8