Texas's 23rd congressional district stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas. It is a majority Hispanic district and has been vacant since Representative Tony Gonzales resigned in 2026.
The 23rd district runs along the majority of Texas's 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.
Recent election results from statewide races
2023–2027 boundaries
{| class=wikitable
! Year
! Office
! Results
|-
||2008
| President
| align="right" |McCain 53% - 46%
|-
||2012
| President
| align="right" |Romney 56% - 44%
|-
|rowspan=2|2014
| Senate
| align="right" |Cornyn 65% - 35%
|-
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 61% - 39%
|-
||2016
| President
| align="right" |Trump 50% - 45%
|-
|rowspan=5|2018
| Senate
| align="right" |Cruz 51% - 49%
|-
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 56% - 42%
|-
| Lt. Governor
| align="right" |Patrick 52% - 46%
|-
| Attorney General
| align="right" |Paxton 50% - 47%
|-
| Comptroller of Public Accounts
| align="right" |Hegar 52% - 44%
|-
|rowspan=2|2020
| President
| align="right" |Trump 53% - 46%
|-
| Senate
| align="right" |Cornyn 54% - 43%
|-
|rowspan=4|2022
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 54% - 44%
|-
| Lt. Governor
| align="right" |Patrick 54% - 43%
|-
| Attorney General
| align="right" |Paxton 53% - 44%
|-
| Comptroller of Public Accounts
| align="right" |Hegar 56% - 41%
|-
|rowspan=2|2024
| President
| align="right" |Trump 57% - 42%
|-
| Senate
| align="right" |Cruz 53% - 44%
|}
2027–2033 boundaries
{| class=wikitable
! Year
! Office
! Results
|-
||2008
| President
| align="right" |McCain 56% - 43%
|-
||2012
| President
| align="right" |Romney 58% - 42%
|-
|rowspan=2|2014
| Senate
| align="right" |Cornyn 67% - 33%
|-
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 63% - 37%
|-
||2016
| President
| align="right" |Trump 51% - 44%
|-
|rowspan=5|2018
| Senate
| align="right" |Cruz 51% - 48%
|-
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 57% - 41%
|-
| Lt. Governor
| align="right" |Patrick 52% - 45%
|-
| Attorney General
| align="right" |Paxton 51% - 46%
|-
| Comptroller of Public Accounts
| align="right" |Hegar 54% - 42%
|-
|rowspan=2|2020
| President
| align="right" |Trump 53% - 46%
|-
| Senate
| align="right" |Cornyn 54% - 43%
|-
|rowspan=4|2022
| Governor
| align="right" |Abbott 54% - 44%
|-
| Lt. Governor
| align="right" |Patrick 54% - 43%
|-
| Attorney General
| align="right" |Paxton 53% - 44%
|-
| Comptroller of Public Accounts
| align="right" |Hegar 56% - 41%
|-
|rowspan=2|2024
| President
| align="right" |Trump 57% - 42%
|-
| Senate
| align="right" |Cruz 53% - 45%
|}
Current 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:
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
Future composition
Beginning with the 2026 election, the 23rd district will consist of the following counties:
- Bexar (part)
- Brewster
- Crane
- Crockett
- Culberson
- Edwards
- El Paso (part)
- Frio
- Hudspeth
- Jeff Davis
- Kinney
- Loving
- Maverick (part)
- Medina
- Pecos
- Presidio
- Reagan
- Reeves
- Schleicher
- Sutton
- Terrell
- Upton
- Uvalde
- Val Verde
- Ward
- Winkler
- Zavala
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.
List of members representing the district
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|- valign=bottom
! Member
! Party
! Years
! Cong<br/>ress
! Electoral history
! width=350 | District location
|- style="height:3em"
| colspan=6 | District established January 3, 1967
|- style="height:3em"
| rowspan=5 align=left | 100px<br/>Abraham Kazen Jr.<br>
| rowspan=5 | Democratic
| rowspan=5 nowrap | January 3, 1967 –<br/>January 3, 1985
| rowspan=5 |
| rowspan=5 | Elected in 1966.<br/>Re-elected in 1968.<br/>Re-elected in 1970.<br/>Re-elected in 1972.<br/>Re-elected in 1974.<br/>Re-elected in 1976.<br/>Re-elected in 1978.<br/>Re-elected in 1980.<br/>Re-elected in 1982.<br/>Lost renomination.
| 1967–1969<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| 1969–1973<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| 1973–1975<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| 1975–1983<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| 1983–1985<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| align=left | 100px<br/>Albert Bustamante<br>
| | Democratic
| nowrap | January 3, 1985 –<br/>January 3, 1993
|
| Elected in 1984.<br/>Re-elected in 1986.<br/>Re-elected in 1988.<br/>Re-elected in 1990.<br/>Lost re-election.
| 1985–1993<br>
|- style="height:3em"
| rowspan=3 align=left | 100px<br/>Henry Bonilla<br>
| rowspan=3 | Republican
| rowspan=3 nowrap | January 3, 1993 –<br/>January 3, 2007
| rowspan=3 |
| rowspan=3 | Elected in 1992.<br/>Re-elected in 1994.<br/>Re-elected in 1996.<br/>Re-elected in 1998.<br/>Re-elected in 2000.<br/>Re-elected in 2002.<br/>Re-elected in 2004.<br/>Lost re-election.
| 1993–2003<br>Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward, Webb, Winkler, and Zavala; parts of Bexar, Ector, El Paso, and Midland
|- style="height:3em"
| 2003–2005<br>Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, and Zavala; parts of Bexar and El Paso
|- style="height:3em"
| 2005–2007<br>300px<br>Bandera, Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala; parts of Bexar, El Paso, Sutton, and Webb
|- style="height:3em"
| align=left | 100px<br/>Ciro Rodriguez<br>
| | Democratic
| nowrap | January 3, 2007 –<br/>January 3, 2011
|
| Elected in 2006.<br/>Re-elected in 2008.<br/>Lost re-election.
| rowspan=2 | 2007–2013<br>300px<br>Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala; parts of Bexar, El Paso, and Sutton
|- style="height:3em"
| align=left | 100px<br/>Quico Canseco<br>
| | Republican
| nowrap | January 3, 2011 –<br/>January 3, 2013
|
| Elected in 2010.<br/>Lost re-election.
|- style="height:3em"
| align=left | 100px<br/>Pete Gallego<br>
| | Democratic
| nowrap | January 3, 2013 –<br/>January 3, 2015
|
| Elected in 2012.<br/>Lost re-election.
| rowspan=3 | 2013–2023<br>300px<br>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; parts of Bexar, El Paso, and La Salle
|- style="height:3em"
| align=left | 100px<br/>Will Hurd<br>
| | Republican
| nowrap | January 3, 2015 –<br/>January 3, 2021
|
| Elected in 2014.<br/>Re-elected in 2016.<br/>Re-elected in 2018.<br/>Retired.
|- style="height:3em"
| rowspan=2 align=left | 100px<br/>Tony Gonzales<br>
| rowspan=2 | Republican
| rowspan=2 nowrap | January 3, 2021 –<br/>April 14, 2026
| rowspan=2 |
| rowspan=2 | Elected in 2020.<br />Re-elected in 2022.<br />Re-elected in 2024.<br />Resigned.
|- style="height:3em"
| rowspan=3 | 2023–2027<br>300px<br>
Bexar (part), Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Edwards, El Paso (part), Frio, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, La Salle, Loving, Maverick, Medina, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Reeves, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Ward, Winkler, and Zavala
|-
| colspan=2 align=center| Vacant
| April 14, 2026 – <br> present
|
|-
| colspan=3 align=center| TBD
|
| Elected to finish Gonzales's term.
|}
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 , 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 . 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.
2006 election
Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry which found that the 23rd district violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the district was redrawn.
2010 election
The National Republican Congressional Committee targeted Texas's 23rd congressional district to try to regain it, and strongly supported the Republican campaign financially.
2012 election
2014 election
2016 election
2018 election
2020 election
2022 election
2024 election
See also
- List of United States congressional districts
References
Further reading
External links
- "Court nixes part of Texas political map"
- "Texas redistricting United States Congress"