WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Rubén Hinojosa and Republican Will Hurd will head into Congress next year as the most vulnerable lawmakers in the Texas delegation.
It’s common for lawmakers in the 23rd District, which Hurd will represent, to be top targets for the opposing party. Elections for the West Texas seat are known to be competitive, and Hurd’s win marked the fifth time the district elected a new congressmen in 10 years.
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes (AP Photo/HO, File)
Will Hurd, former CIA operative (Hurd campaign)
In his Democratic-leaning district, Hinojosa won with 54 percent of the vote. In Congress, he’s in his ninth term and chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Hinojosa, a Mercedes Democrat, faced Republican opponent Eddie Zamora, who received 43 percent of the vote. The candidates ran in the 15th District, located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Zamora raised about $107,000, while Hinojosa raised about $438,000, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Hinojosa’s vote margin is his lowest in recent years. The Democrat won 61 percent of the vote in 2012 and 56 percent in 2010.
Zamora also took on Hinojosa in 2010 and 2008.
Hurd, a former CIA operative who knocked off Democratic incumbent Rep. Pete Gallego, won just under 50 percent of the vote to Gallego’s 47.7 percent.
Gallego raised about $2.3 million to Hurd’s $1.1 million for the seat, which runs from San Antonio to El Paso. The congressional district is famously volatile and is by far the most competitive in Texas.