Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2018

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Texas' 23rd Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 11, 2017
Primary: March 6, 2018
Primary runoff: May 22, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
Pre-election incumbent:
Will Hurd (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Texas
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
Texas' 23rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th • 16th • 17th • 18th • 19th • 20th • 21st • 22nd • 23rd • 24th • 25th • 26th • 27th • 28th • 29th • 30th • 31st • 32nd • 33rd • 34th • 35th • 36th • 27th (special)
Texas elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018


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.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 23

Incumbent William Hurd defeated Gina Ortiz Jones and Ruben Corvalan in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 23 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of William Hurd
William Hurd (R)
 
49.2
 
103,285
Image of Gina Ortiz Jones
Gina Ortiz Jones (D)
 
48.7
 
102,359
Image of Ruben Corvalan
Ruben Corvalan (L)
 
2.1
 
4,425

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 210,069
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 23

Gina Ortiz Jones defeated Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr. in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 23 on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gina Ortiz Jones
Gina Ortiz Jones
 
66.8
 
16,696
Image of Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr.
Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr.
 
33.2
 
8,296

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 24,992
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23

Gina Ortiz Jones and Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr. advanced to a runoff. They defeated Judith Ann Canales, Jay Hulings, and Angela Villescaz in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gina Ortiz Jones
Gina Ortiz Jones
 
41.6
 
18,443
✔
Image of Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr.
Ricardo Jose Treviño Jr.
 
17.4
 
7,710
Image of Judith Ann Canales
Judith Ann Canales
 
17.0
 
7,538
Image of Jay Hulings
Jay Hulings
 
15.0
 
6,649
Image of Angela Villescaz
Angela Villescaz
 
9.1
 
4,032

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 44,372
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23

Incumbent William Hurd defeated Alma Arredondo-Lynch in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of William Hurd
William Hurd
 
80.4
 
24,569
Image of Alma Arredondo-Lynch
Alma Arredondo-Lynch
 
19.6
 
5,986

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 30,555
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Will Hurd, U.S. Representative
Will Hurd.png

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: U.S. Representative from Texas' 23rd Congressional District (Elected in 2014)

Biography: Hurd attended Texas A&M University. He then spent nearly a decade working primarily in the Middle East and South Asia as an undercover officer in the CIA. After leaving the CIA, Hurd joined the Crumpton Group as a partner and founded the cybersecurity company FusionX.[1]

Key messages
  • Hurd stated on his campaign website that he "strives to be the gold standard in constituent service and a leader on national security issues."[2]
  • Hurd campaigned on his experience in the CIA before entering Congress. He stated he "is using his extensive cybersecurity experience in Congress to help harden our digital infrastructure and hold nation states accountable for their digital attacks."[3]
  • Hurd's other campaign priorities included encouraging cross-border trade, encouraging job growth, and reducing student debt.[3]


Gina Ortiz Jones, National security advisor
Gina-Ortiz-Jones.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Jones earned a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies and master's and bachelor's degrees in economics all from Boston University. She also earned a graduate degree from the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies. Jones' professional experience includes serving as director for investment at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and as the senior advisor for trade enforcement. She is a U.S. Air Force veteran and she served as an intelligence officer in Iraq. Jones has also served as a national security advisor in Latin America and Africa.[4]

Key messages
  • On her campaign website, Ortiz Jones talked about her mother’s experience immigrating to the United States as a reason for her to run for Congress. She stated she would "fight every day to ensure all Americans are given the opportunities and promise of a better future that our country gave to her and her family."[5]
  • Ortiz Jones said she ran for Congress "to bring her unmatched experience, unique perspective, and the core values instilled in her while growing up in San Antonio to work for us in Washington."[5]
  • Ortiz Jones' campaign priorities included creating jobs and growing the economy, a single-payer healthcare system, and providing access to quality and affordable higher education.


Ruben Corvalan, consulting company owner
Ruben Corvalan.jpeg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Libertarian

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Corvalan was born in Santiago, Chile, and immigrated to the United States to finish his studies as an electrical engineer at Cleveland State University. He has worked as an electrical engineer for several companies and opened his own consulting company in 1990. At the time of the 2018 election, Corvalan owned AmpSAFE, LLC, an electrical engineering consulting company.

Key messages
  • Corvalan's campaign messaging emphasized his belief that individuals are entitled to freedom and sovereignty over their own lives. He said he believed "that people can engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that this freedom brings...individuals [should be] free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or anyone else."[6]
  • One of Corvalan's campaign priorities was creating a process for immigrants residing in the U.S. without legal permission to obtain work visas. He said that immigrants without criminal records should be qualified for this process, and their visas should have to be renewed every two years. He also said that immigrants under the age of 18 brought to the U.S. by their parents should be able to obtain a student visa.[6]
  • Corvalan's campaigning also focused on balancing the federal budget and opposing any additional expenses.[6]


Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Texas' 23rd Congressional District general election
Poll Poll sponsor Will Hurd Gina Ortiz JonesUnsureMargin of ErrorSample Size
NYT Upshot/Siena College
October 13-18, 2018		The New York Times 53%38%9%+/-5488
NYT Upshot/Siena College
September 10-11, 2018		The New York Times 51%43%7%+/-5495
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
William Hurd Republican Party $5,163,892 $5,192,901 $1,138 As of December 31, 2018
Gina Ortiz Jones Democratic Party $6,195,216 $6,103,698 $91,519 As of December 31, 2018
Ruben Corvalan Libertarian Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[7][8][9]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • EMILY'S List spent nearly $1.2 million supporting Ortiz Jones as of October 15, 2018.[11]
    • EMILY's List added $227,000 opposing Hurd on October 31, 2018.[12]
  • Onward Together, a political action committee formed by Hillary Clinton, donated $5,000 to Ortiz Jones in June 2018.[14]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[15]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[16][17][18]

Race ratings: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2018
Race trackerRace ratings
October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018October 9, 2018
The Cook Political ReportLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLean RepublicanLean RepublicanLean RepublicanTilt Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean RepublicanToss-upToss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+1, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Texas' 23rd Congressional District the 227th most Republican nationally.[19]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.93. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.93 points toward that party.[20]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.


Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Gina Ortiz Jones

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Will Hurd

Support

"No One Left Behind" released August 23, 2018
"Support Will Hurd in TX-23" released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce June 4, 2018

Oppose

"8 Votes" - released October 16, 2018
"Will's Herd" - released October 16, 2018
"Dear Mr. Hurd" - released October 11, 2018
"Not Working for Us" - released September 17, 2018

Democratic Party Gina Ortiz Jones

Support

"Here's the Deal" - released October 8, 2018
"Oportunidad" - released September 24, 2018
"No One Had to Ask" - released July 12, 2018

Oppose

"Raise" - Congressional Leadership fund ad, released October 31, 2018
"Caught" - Congressional Leadership fund ad, released October 24, 2018
"Bureaucrat" - Congressional Leadership fund ad, released October 10, 2018
"Write Another" - NRCC ad, released October 9, 2018
"No Matter" - NRCC ad, released September 29, 2018
"Liberal Jones" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad, released September 26, 2018
"Know Better" - NRCC ad, released September 20, 2018

Campaign themes

The themes below were taken from the candidates' campaign websites.

Will Hurd

Border Security

With criminal organizations working across the border, there’s no question that intelligence-led border security efforts are needed to keep our communities and our nation safe. Will introduced legislation that will use cutting-edge technology, enhanced man-power and physical barriers as necessary in order to secure our border, rather than building an expensive and ineffective wall that can negatively impact the trade and commerce that fuels the economy in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas.

Immigration

Our outdated immigration laws need to be fixed so that the American economy can continue to benefit from both the “brain-drain” and “hard-working-drain” from other nations. Will is working with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to present a balanced approach that protects our borders, attracts the best and brightest to our shores, and creates a legal workforce that will bolster the American economy.

National Security

In an increasingly dangerous world, it’s vital that the people creating national security policy in Congress have the real-world experience to make decisions that will keep our nation safe. Will spent almost a decade as an undercover officer in the CIA, working in the back alleys of dangerous cities to gather intelligence vital to our national security. Will has spent most of his adult life chasing terrorists, including overseeing all CIA operations in Afghanistan before leaving the Agency. And as the threats move more and more to the digital realm, Will is using his extensive cybersecurity experience in Congress to help harden our digital infrastructure and hold nation states accountable for their digital attacks.

Trade

Trade is the life-blood for many local economies in the 23rd District and Will believes we need to do more as a nation to encourage cross-border trade and commerce. He’s already working with local leadership, stakeholders and congressional leadership to ensure that attempts to modernize NAFTA will further benefit our communities and strengthen our partnership with Mexico and Canada.

Economy & Taxes

The American economy is back on the rise, and Will continues to fight for policies that unshackles small business owners, spurs innovation and encourages job growth. From voting for historic tax reform that lets taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money to rolling back unnecessary red tape, Will is working to strengthen every family's pocketbook. He knows that what local farmers, ranchers and companies really want is for government to get out of the way and let them grow their business.

Veterans

Will served alongside many of our nation’s finest, and he knows just how important it is to keep the promises made to our Veterans. From health care to education, the men and women who sacrificed so much for our safety to deserve easy access to the benefits they earned. Will has prioritized Veterans from the very beginning by hiring a Wounded Warrior Veteran to oversee casework and help battle the bureaucracy on their behalf.

Education

Education is a national security issue, and Will is already working with local schools, colleges, businesses and his colleagues in order to help students graduate either skills-ready to enter the workforce or to continue their education without accruing student debt that takes a lifetime to pay off. One of Will’s signature achievements was to implement a program that trained middle school math teachers to introduce computer science into their curriculum, giving their students a jump start on this increasingly important skill set.[3]

Gina Ortiz Jones

Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy

Every family in this country deserves the opportunity to make a decent living, have a real chance to get ahead, and see their children get a first-class education that gives them more opportunities than those before them – that is the American Dream. Gina’s mother came to this country to work for that dream, and Gina, along with so many others, has defended that dream in uniform.

In Congress, Gina will make creating good paying jobs in Texas her number one priority - focusing on investing in small businesses and the economy to make sure Texas is at the forefront of job creation and innovation. Gina will protect and create the economic opportunities needed to ensure we have a strong middle class.

National Security

More than ever, we need leaders in Congress who are capable of getting ahead of challenges our country is facing – both foreign and domestic. A former military intelligence officer and Iraq War veteran with an extensive career as a national security expert, Gina has spent over 14 years serving and protecting our country. She has the knowledge and experience to be a leader on national security and foreign policy decisions that strengthen our relationships with our allies and protect the long-term interests of the United States.

Rather than the reactionary rhetoric we’ve seen from Republicans or the alarming and ill-tempered threats issued from our President, Gina will bring high-level experience and unique perspective having served in positions around the world and in our own government. She will stand up for responsible solutions that protect Americans from dangers both at home and abroad. She will be a strong voice to protect the building blocks that truly make our country secure – access to quality education and affordable health care services for all Americans. And because our safety begins at home, Gina believes strongly in commonsense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, and other people who represent a risk to themselves and others.

Responsible Immigration Reform

As a first-generation American, Gina will never forget that our country was built by immigrants and that immigration strengthens our economy and contributes to our national security. Gina understands we need smart, responsible immigration policy reform that protects the security of Americans while also creating an inclusive and welcoming community for those who come to this country for a better life.

In Congress, Gina will advocate for justly-administered, orderly, and welcoming immigration policies. Our nation’s border security cannot be compromised, but our safety does not require us to abandon the principles on which this country was founded.

Accessible Affordable Healthcare

The importance of affordable and accessible health care services is particularly critical in Texas, which continues to have the highest rate of people without health insurance of any state in the country - about one in every six residents.

Gina watched as her mother faced a diagnosis of colon cancer and understands that her mother’s survival was possible because of the health care coverage she had as a public employee. Gina also realizes that too many families are just one medical emergency away from years of financial hardship or bankruptcy. Finally, Gina is ready to lead the fight to ensure having a child in Texas is no longer a matter of life and death for the mother. Texas can do better than leading the developed world in maternal mortality, and that starts with sending folks like Gina to Washington.

In Congress, Gina will make affordable, accessible, quality healthcare for every American - regardless of sex, age, income, or employment status - a top priority. Gina supports a single payer system and understands that with our country's health, there can only be one incentive: a healthy population.

Quality Education

Texas’ educational system continues to be ranked among the bottom in the country – 43rd in Education Week’s 2016 Quality Counts Report – yet enrollment in Texas schools continues to rise, with one in every 10 school age child in this country residing in Texas.

As the daughter of a lifelong educator, Gina understands that a quality education is the key to a better future. She knows she wouldn’t be where she is today without the educators who helped guide her and the opportunities her education provided. Unfortunately, as pivotal as quality education is to future economic security and success, Texas ranks 36th nationwide in classroom spending.

In Congress, Gina will fight to ensure every Texas student has access to a first-class education and the resources they need. Gina graduated from the kind of high school where you start off with 900 kids, yet only 500 graduate. This is too common in Texas, and we have to do better. She’s ready to fight for our kids - regardless of their background or zipcode.

Protecting our Civil Rights and Freedoms

Throughout her career, Gina has seen first-hand the dangers associated with the hollowing out of government institutions, attacks on the free press, policies deliberately aimed at weakening the voice of women and other marginalized groups, and the threats posed by leaders who use their position as an opportunity to turn a profit rather than develop a nation. She has seen those who are supposed to be leading this country threaten the freedoms and ideals she spent her lifetime protecting, and Gina once again feels called to serve her country and community and defend those who need it most.

As an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, Gina served under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and saw first-hand how discrimination affects good order and discipline, as well as military readiness.

In Congress, Gina will be a champion for equal rights for all and protections from discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, and religion.

Higher Education and Skilled Job Training

Gina was able to attend Boston University because of a four-year Air Force R.O.T.C. scholarship she earned in high school. She believes that every Texas student deserves the opportunity to pursue a higher education if they choose, not only if they can afford it. Too many talented students give up on getting a college degree because of the burden of student loan debt, while many others are struggling to get out from under it. Gina also knows that not every student’s path to success is through a college classroom, many that fought alongside her in the military gained high-level skill training that put them on the path to a successful future.

In Congress, Gina will fight to ensure every Texas student has access to quality, affordable higher education. She will also work to increase the accessibility of specialized job training and vocational programs that give students the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in today’s economy.

Protecting Our Seniors and Veterans

As an Iraq War veteran, Gina knows how egregious it is that so many of those who served before and with her, and put their lives on the line to protect all of us, are seemingly forgotten and not receiving the care they deserve.

Gina believes strongly that we owe Texas seniors – men and women who worked their whole lives to support their families – the dignity of a secure retirement. This includes the safety nets they were promised would be there for them, and to which they spent their entire lives contributing.

In Congress, Gina will stand up for our veterans and their families to ensure our country lives up to the promises we made to them in exchange for their service and their lives. She will fight to protect critical programs that many Texas seniors rely on like Social Security and Medicare.[21]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Democratic Party Will Hurd Facebook

Republican Party Gina Ortiz Jones Facebook

Republican district won by Hillary Clinton

See also: U.S. House districts represented by a Republican and won by Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections

This district was one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House districts that Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election.[22] Nearly all were expected to be among the House's most competitive elections in 2018.

Click on the table below to see the full list of districts.


2018 election results in Republican-held U.S. House districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016
District Incumbent 2018 winner 2018 margin 2016 presidential margin 2012 presidential margin
Arizona's 2nd Republican Party Martha McSally Democratic Party Ann Kirkpatrick D+9.5 Clinton+4.9 Romney+1.5
California's 10th Republican Party Jeff Denham Democratic Party Josh Harder D+2.6 Clinton+3.0 Obama+3.6
California's 21st Republican Party David Valadao Democratic Party TJ Cox D+0.8 Clinton+15.5 Obama+11.1
California's 25th Republican Party Steve Knight Democratic Party Katie Hill D+6.4 Clinton+6.7 Romney+1.9
California's 39th Republican Party Ed Royce Democratic Party Gil Cisneros D+1.4 Clinton+8.6 Romney+3.7
California's 45th Republican Party Mimi Walters Democratic Party Katie Porter D+1.6 Clinton+5.4 Romney+11.8
California's 48th Republican Party Dana Rohrabacher Democratic Party Harley Rouda D+5.8 Clinton+1.7 Romney+11.7
California's 49th Republican Party Darrell Issa Democratic Party Mike Levin D+7.4 Clinton+7.5 Romney+6.7
Colorado's 6th Republican Party Mike Coffman Democratic Party Jason Crow D+11.2 Clinton+8.9 Obama+5.1
Florida's 26th Republican Party Carlos Curbelo Democratic Party Debbie Mucarsel-Powell D+1.8 Clinton+16.1 Obama+11.5
Florida's 27th Republican Party Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Democratic Party Donna Shalala D+6.0 Clinton+19.7 Obama+6.7
Illinois' 6th Republican Party Peter Roskam Democratic Party Sean Casten D+5.6 Clinton+7.0 Romney+8.2
Kansas' 3rd Republican Party Kevin Yoder Democratic Party Sharice Davids D+9.1 Clinton+1.2 Romney+9.5
Minnesota's 3rd Republican Party Erik Paulsen Democratic Party Dean Phillips D+11.4 Clinton+9.4 Obama+0.8
New Jersey's 7th Republican Party Leonard Lance Democratic Party Tom Malinowski D+4.7 Clinton+1.1 Romney+6.2
New York's 24th Republican Party John Katko Republican Party John Katko R+6.3 Clinton+3.6 Obama+15.9
Pennsylvania's 1st Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick[23] Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick R+2.6 Clinton+2.0 Obama+2.6
Pennsylvania's 5th Republican Party Pat Meehan[24] Democratic Party Mary Gay Scanlon D+30.2 Clinton+28.2 Obama+27.7
Pennsylvania's 6th Republican Party Ryan Costello[25] Democratic Party Chrissy Houlahan D+17.6 Clinton+9.3 Obama+3.2
Pennsylvania's 7th Republican Party Charlie Dent[26] Democratic Party Susan Wild D+11.3 Clinton+1.1 Obama+7.0
Texas' 7th Republican Party John Culberson Democratic Party Lizzie Pannill Fletcher D+5.0 Clinton+1.4 Romney+21.3
Texas' 23rd Republican Party Will Hurd Republican Party Will Hurd R+0.5 Clinton+3.4 Romney+2.6
Texas' 32nd Republican Party Pete Sessions Democratic Party Colin Allred D+6.3 Clinton+1.9 Romney+15.5
Virginia's 10th Republican Party Barbara Comstock Democratic Party Jennifer Wexton D+12.4 Clinton+10.0 Romney+1.6
Washington's 8th Republican Party David Reichert Democratic Party Kim Schrier D+6.2 Clinton+3.0 Obama+1.6


Click here to see the 13 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Donald Trump (R) won.

Click here to see an overview of all split-ticket districts in the 2016 presidential and U.S. House elections..

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Jefferson County, Texas 0.48% 1.61% 2.25%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[27][28]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points.


District election history

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) is also seeking election to the seat.[29][30]

U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngWill 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
Green check mark transparent.pngWill 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
Green check mark transparent.pngPete Gallego 88.4% 43,223
Lee Keenen 11.6% 5,688
Total Votes 48,911
Source: Texas Secretary of State

2014

BattlegroundRace.jpg

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 Green check mark transparent.pngWill 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.[31]

U.S. House, Texas District 23 General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngPete 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"

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Texas heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

  • Republicans controlled both chambers of the Texas State Legislature. They had a 93-55 majority in the state House and a 21-10 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

  • Texas was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House.

2018 elections

See also: Texas elections, 2018

Texas held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Demographics

Demographic data for Texas
 TexasU.S.
Total population:27,429,639316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):261,2323,531,905
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)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

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).[32][33]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Texas from 2000 to 2016.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Texas every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Texas 2000-2016[34][35]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 52.23% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 43.24% 8.99%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 57.17% Democratic Party Barack Obama 41.38% 15.79%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 55.45% Democratic Party Barack Obama 43.68% 11.77%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 61.09% Democratic Party John Kerry 38.22% 22.87%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 59.30% Democratic Party Al Gore 37.98% 21.32%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Texas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Texas 2000-2016[36]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014[37] Republican Party John Cornyn 61.56% Democratic Party David Alameel 34.36% 27.20%
2012[38] Republican Party Ted Cruz 56.46% Democratic Party Paul Sadler 40.62% 15.84%
2008[39] Republican Party John Cornyn 54.82% Democratic Party Richard Noriega 42.84% 11.98%
2006[40] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 61.69% Democratic Party Barbara Ann Radnofsky 36.04% 25.65%
2002[41] Republican Party John Cornyn 55.30% Democratic Party Ron Kirk 43.33% 11.97%
2000[42] Republican Party Kay Bailey Hutchison 65.04% Democratic Party Gene Kelly 32.35% 32.69%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2014

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2014. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Texas.

Election results (Governor), Texas 2000-2016[43]
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Greg Abbott 59.27% Democratic Party Wendy Davis 38.90% 20.37%
2010 Republican Party Rick Perry 54.97% Democratic Party Bill White 42.30% 12.67%
2006 Republican Party Rick Perry 39.03% Democratic Party Chris Bell 29.79% 9.24%
2002 Republican Party Rick Perry 57.81% Democratic Party Tony Sanchez 39.96% 17.85%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Texas 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
2014 Republican Party 25 69.4% Democratic Party 11 30.6% R+14
2012 Republican Party 24 66.7% Democratic Party 12 33.3% R+12
2010 Republican Party 23 71.9% Democratic Party 9 28.1% R+14
2008 Republican Party 20 62.5% Democratic Party 12 37.5% R+8
2006 Republican Party 19 59.4% Democratic Party 13 40.6% R+6
2004 Republican Party 21 65.6% Democratic Party 11 34.4% R+10
2002 Republican Party 15 46.9% Democratic Party 17 53.1% D+2
2000 Republican Party 13 43.3% Democratic Party 17 56.7% D+4

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Campaign website, "About Will," accessed January 27, 2014
  2. ↑ Will Hurd 2018 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 21, 2018
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Will Hurd 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 21, 2018
  4. ↑ Gina Ortiz Jones 2018 campaign website, "About," accessed February 16, 2018
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gina Ortiz Jones, "Meet Gina," accessed September 21, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ruben Corvalan 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed November 2, 2018
  7. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  10. ↑ Politico, "CLF backs Young after spurning him last year," August 31, 2018
  11. ↑ National Journal, "Hotline's Wake-Up Call!" accessed October 17, 2018
  12. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Independent Expenditures," accessed November 2, 2018
  13. ↑ Pro Publica, "Independent Expenditures by Nrcc for Filing 1285882," accessed October 29, 2018
  14. ↑ CNN, "Hillary Clinton steps up her involvement in the midterms," July 30, 2018
  15. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  16. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  17. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  18. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  19. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  20. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  21. ↑ Gina Ortiz Jones 2018 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 21, 2018
  22. ↑ This figure includes Pennsylvania districts that were redrawn by the state Supreme Court in early 2018 and districts that flipped in special elections.
  23. ↑ The new 1st district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 8th District held by Fitzpatrick. Click here to read more.
  24. ↑ The new 5th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 7th District held by Meehan. Click here to read more.
  25. ↑ The new 6th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 6th District held by Costello. Click here to read more.
  26. ↑ The new 7th district was created in early 2018 due to court-ordered redistricting and most closely resembles the old 15th District held by Dent. Click here to read more.
  27. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  28. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  29. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 15, 2015
  30. ↑ The New York Times, "Texas Primary Results," March 1, 2016
  31. ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Texas," November 6, 2012
  32. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Texas," accessed December 12, 2017
  33. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts Houston; San Antonio; Dallas," accessed December 13, 2017
  34. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  35. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results," January 30, 2017
  36. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Federal Elections 2014: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives," accessed December 13, 2017
  37. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2014 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  38. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2012 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  39. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2008 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  40. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2006 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  41. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2002 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  42. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2000 Official Election Results for United States Senate," accessed December 13, 2017
  43. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, "Texas Election Results," accessed December 13, 2017
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Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
John Cornyn (R)
Ted Cruz (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
Al Green (D)
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Vacant
District 19
District 20
District 21
Chip Roy (R)
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
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District 31
District 32
District 33
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District 35
District 36
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District 38
Republican Party (27)
Democratic Party (12)
Vacancies (1)

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