In another year, the December 12 run-off between Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla and former Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez would garner significantly more media attention than it is currently receiving. After all, Bonilla is in a tight contest to defend his newly drawn – and less reliably Republican – district. But, the fact that Democrats won big on November 7 and will come into the 110th Congress with a substantial 15-seat majority diminishes the sex appeal of this contest.
In the eight-way special primary election on November 7, Bonilla just missed the 50-percent threshold to avoid a run-off. He took 49 percent of the vote. Rodriguez was the top Democratic vote getter, taking 20 percent of the vote.
On paper, the newly drawn 23rd district presents itself as a serious Democratic opportunity. Under the newly drawn lines, Hispanic voters make up 61 percent of the population – an 11 point increase from the old district. Under the old lines, the district had a 57 percent Republican performance. Today, it has a 51 percent Democratic performance. The PVI went from
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