13 November 2008
Texas 23rd Congressional District a Blue Corner of a Red State
House seat will stay Democratic; Senate seat will remain Republican
San Antonio — Voters in Southwest Texas favored Democratic candidates in the November 4 election, bucking the statewide support for the Republican Party.
Although Republican presidential candidate John McCain defeated Democrat Barack Obama by 9 percentage points in the contest for Texas’s 34 electoral votes, the Texas 23rd Congressional District gave Obama 56 percent of its votes, compared with 44 percent for McCain.
Results were similar in the statewide race for the U.S. Senate. Republican incumbent John Cornyn defeated Democratic challenger Rick Noriega, 54 percent to 44 percent. But in the Texas 23rd, the Democrat outpolled the Republican by nearly 99,000 votes.
In his victory speech, Cornyn said it had been a rough election for Republicans nationwide.
“As tough as today is for the Republican Party, I hope it serves as a wake-up call and a reminder for us to return to our core values,” Cornyn said. “We will all be winners tonight if the Republican Party returns to the basic values that have served us so well here in Texas and across the country. We know what those values are: limited government, lower taxes, personal liberty, a strong national defense, and unlimited opportunity for all. We need to get back to those basics.”
Noriega said he had little chance, given Cornyn’s large campaign fund.
"We knew it would be an uphill battle. We didn't have as much money as our opponent, but I think we forced him to work for every vote," Noriega said. (See “Texas Politicians Show Power of Incumbency.”)
CONGRESSIONAL RACE
The Texas 23rd also re-elected Democratic U.S. Representative Ciro Rodriguez. He defeated Republican challenger Lyle Larson, 56 percent to 42 percent.
Rodriguez says voters told him they want bipartisan solutions in Congress to the challenges the country faces.
“They want us to go up there and solve problems, and stop bickering and stop fighting,” Rodriguez said. “That I got loud and clear. People want us to work with each other to make things happen for America. We have no choice. We’ve got to turn this country around.”
Larson says he will return to private business after serving 16 years in local government.
The election also featured a referendum on extending the term limits for the mayor and city council in San Antonio, the nation’s seventh-biggest city. The measure was approved, and future city officeholders will be able to seek as many as four two-year terms. The previous limit was two two-year terms.
This article is part of America.gov’s continuing coverage of seven of the 435 U.S. congressional districts during the 2008 campaign. Each offers a different prism through which to view U.S. politics. For more information, see U.S Elections — State and Local.
