Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2016

2018 → ← 2014

Texas' 23rd Congressional District

General Election Date November 8, 2016

Primary Date March 1, 2016

November 8 Election Winner: Will Hurd

Incumbent prior to election: Will Hurd

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up Rothenberg & Gonzales: Pure Toss-up

Texas U.S. House Elections District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36

2016 U.S. Senate Elections

The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.

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) also sought election to the seat.

This election was one of Ballotpedia's top 10 congressional races in 2016. Click here to read the full list.

HIGHLIGHTS

Texas' 23rd District was the only competitive district among the state's 36 congressional districts.

The race featured a rematch between incumbent Will Hurd (R) and Pete Gallego (D), the former incumbent who was ousted by Hurd in 2014.

The 23rd District was a heavily rural and Hispanic district. Donald Trump's unpopularity among Hispanic voters was expected to make re-election more difficult for Hurd.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
December 14, 2015	March 1, 2016	November 8, 2016

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes)

“

The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.'

”

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Will Hurd (R), who was first elected in 2014.

Texas' 23rd Congressional District is located in the western portion of the state. The district includes Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward, Winkler, and Zavala counties. Areas of Bexar, El Paso, and La Salle counties are also included in the district.

Election results

General election

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

Primary election

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

Candidates

General election candidates:

Will Hurd a
Pete Gallego
Ruben Corvalan

Primary candidates:

Democratic

Pete Gallego - Former U.S. Rep. who was ousted by Hurd in 2014 a
Lee Keenen

Republican

Will Hurd - Incumbent a
William Peterson

Third Party/Other

Ruben Corvalan (Libertarian) a

Race background

Incumbent Will Hurd was a member of the NRCC's Patriot Program. The program is designed to help raise money and assist vulnerable incumbents seeking re-election.

Pete Gallego was one of the initial members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue Program. The program "highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country, and offers them financial, communications, grassroots, and strategic support."

Presidential preference

Will Hurd

See also: Republicans and their declared positions on Donald Trump

Hurd has declined to endorse or vote for Donald Trump, explaining that Trump must earn his support. On May 6, 2016, Hurd said, “Until the presumptive nominee shows he can respect women and minorities and presents a clear plan to protect our homeland, I am going to reserve my endorsement. I hope in the next seven months he can show this because I am not supporting Hillary Clinton.”

Media

Will Hurd

Opposition

"DISRESPECT" - DCCC ad tying Hurd to Donald Trump, released September 2016

"Open" - DCCC ad opposing Hurd for supporting Donald Trump

Pete Gallego

Support

"Keeping Our Word" - Gallego campaign ad, released September 2016

"Getting Things Done" - Gallego campaign ad, released September 2016

Opposition

"Revolving Door" - NRCC ad opposing Gallego, released September 2016

"She's a fan" - NRCC ad opposing Gallego, released October 2016

"Pete Gallego failed Texas veterans" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad

Campaign themes

Will Hurd

“	National Security: When I served as an undercover officer in the CIA I collected intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program. So I can say from first-hand experience that Iran is trying to acquire a nuclear weapon and they cannot be trusted under any circumstances. This deal does not stop Iran from reaching its goal and does not hold them accountable to the degree that’s necessary. Not only should it be rejected, but additional sanctions should be placed on Iran until they come back to the negotiating table and agree to terms that allow ‘anytime, anywhere’ inspections, the complete dismantlement of dual-use facilities and recognize Israel’s right to exist. Economy: One of my main goals in Congress is to keep government from intruding on small business owners. Keep the tax code simple and foster an environment where folks want to invest in our economy and create jobs. Small business is the number one job provider in this country, but we have to keep government bureaucrats from the EPA and the IRS from stifling economic growth. America is now the leading producer of oil and gas in the world and we need to keep it that way, because it provides good high paying jobs in South and West Texas. Veterans: Veterans not receiving the health care they deserve is not acceptable. It's a systemic and serious flaw affecting our heroes throughout the nation. The U.S. House of Representatives voted July 29 to pass the VA Accountability Act of 2015, which will give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs greater authority and flexibility in firing VA employees who fail to properly do their job.	”
—Will Hurd's campaign website, http://www.hurdforcongress.com/issues

Pete Gallego

“	Education: There’s an unquestionable connection between access to education and a better future. Education opened the door to opportunity in my life, and I believe all Texas should have a shot at a better future. In the state legislature, I fought attempts to cut $5.4 billion from public education. Rather than using any of the $6 billion available in the state’s savings account known as the Rainy Day Fund, the legislature opted to leave Texas schools underfunded by billions of dollars and shortchange our students. Veterans: I strongly believe we owe a great debt to the men and women who defend and have defended our country. We must make sure that we are supporting local military families and veterans. We need to make sure they receive prompt and high-quality care at VA clinics, increase funding to programs that provide aid for wounded veterans and support programs that help these men and women to find jobs once they get home. Immigration: Our country is made up of immigrants who made the journey to the United States in search of the American dream. But we all know that our immigration system is broken. I am a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, including beefed up efforts to improve border security to keep criminals out and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in this country who pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn to speak English and stand in line. DREAM Act: I strongly support the DREAM Act, which would let young people who were brought to this country as children, graduated from high school and stayed out of trouble, to earn a path to citizenship through military service or by going to college. I was proud to vote for the Texas DREAM Act, and I continue to look forward to voting for the federal DREAM Act in Congress. Medicare and Medicaid: I strongly support expanding Medicaid in Texas, which will immediately provide 1 million poor, working uninsured Texas families with health care coverage, but also make sure Texas taxpayers help people in Texas, rather than sending their federal taxes to states like California and New York.	”
—Pete Gallego's campaign website, http://petegallego.com/priorities

Campaign contributions

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Will Hurd

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Pete Gallego

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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District history

2014

The 23rd Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.

See also: Texas' 23rd Congressional District elections, 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

2012

See also: Texas' 23rd Congressional District elections, 2012

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"

Important dates and deadlines

See also: Texas elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Texas in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
September 15, 2015	Ballot access	First day to file for a place on the primary ballot for precinct chair candidates
November 14, 2015	Ballot access	First day to file for all other candidates for offices that are regularly scheduled to be on the primary ballot
December 14, 2015	Ballot access	Filing deadline for candidates; filing deadline for independent candidates to file intent declaration
January 15, 2016	Campaign finance	January semi-annual report due
February 1, 2016	Campaign finance	30th-day pre-primary report due
February 12, 2016	Campaign finance	Personal financial statement due
February 22, 2016	Campaign finance	8th-day pre-primary report due
March 1, 2016	Election date	Primary election
May 16, 2016	Campaign finance	8th-day pre-runoff report due
July 15, 2016	Campaign finance	July semi-annual report due
October 11, 2016	Campaign finance	30th-day pre-election report due
October 31, 2016	Campaign finance	8th-day pre-election report due
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
January 17, 2017	Campaign finance	January semi-annual report due
Sources: Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed July 17, 2016 Texas Ethics Commission, "2016 Filing Schedule for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with the Texas Ethics Commission," accessed November 25, 2015

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2016

Footnotes

For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!

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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Sylvester Turner (D)

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (13)