Bonilla, Rodriguez Ready For Runoff (TX-23)

KSAT ^ | 11/9/06

[hispanarepublicana]

Bonilla, Rodriguez Ready For Runoff

SAN ANTONIO -- Another U.S. House seat could turn Democratic, now that Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla is headed for a runoff against a former House colleague.

Bonilla received 49 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting on Wednesday. That put him in a runoff with the second top vote-getter, former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, who came in with just under 20 percent in an eight-candidate field. Six of the eight were Democrats.

Bonilla told reporters Wednesday that he was proud of his campaign team and that he needed to "score one more touchdown."

He said he was confident he would garner many crossover votes, both from independents and conservative Democrats.

"We're going to prevail," Bonilla said, the morning after Democrats regained control of the U.S. House.

Rodriguez said he already has most of the other challengers in his camp.

"I'm excited, I'm ready and I'm looking forward to going out there and making some things happen and turning some things around," Rodriguez said.

Asked if he would be open to debating Rodriguez, Bonilla said he was open to requests and "happy to show the differences between the two of us."

"I'm just thrilled to death that he has a long history in Congress," Bonilla, 52, said of the 59-year-old Rodriguez. "And he has a career in politics that goes back to probably my time in diapers, and he has a record, a very solid one that people can look at and there will be very little that we have in common."

Rodriguez also said he would debate.

"Any time you get the incumbent into a runoff he's in trouble," Rodriguez said, adding that the extra month to campaign will let him travel to new areas of the district.

Rodriguez said he expects support from the other Texas Democrats in Congress and though "I started with nothing and after the campaign I ended with nothing," he said he expects to be well financed.

Rodriguez served in Congress from 1997 to 2005. He twice lost in Democratic primaries to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in the neighboring 28th District.

Challengers had little time to raise money after the court ruling, while Bonilla had more than $2 million cash on hand at the end of September. Rodriguez announced plans to drop out of the race at one point due to a lack of funding, then changed his mind.

Bonilla and Rodriguez were among eight candidates, including six Democrats, seeking to represent the district stretching from near El Paso in far West Texas to the Mexican border and into San Antonio.

The race was thrown open this summer when the Supreme Court ruled that the district, redrawn by the Legislature in 2003, violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting minority votes. The boundaries were drawn again in August by a panel of judges, and the Hispanic voting-age population rose to 61 percent, from 51 percent in 2004.

Five districts that were redrawn by the panel because of the high court's decision held special elections Tuesday. The 23rd was the only one to remain undecided. The incumbents in each of the other districts got the 50 percent they needed to avoid a runoff.

Scott Haywood, spokesman for the Texas Secretary of State's office, said no date for a runoff had been set because the votes in the district were not finalized. He said the runoff cannot take place before 30 days have passed.

[hispanarepublicana]

I hope he can overcome the trend....

[hispanarepublicana]

you in this district?

[fortheDeclaration]

Does anyone know the combined total of the Democrat vote against him.

I know that he had 49% of the vote, but was there any Libertarian in the race also?

[Racehorse]

I hope he can overcome the trend....

Since Bonilla is an incumbent Republican Congressman and not a Bexar County Republican District Court Judge, he should win.

That seems to be the trend. :-)

[Racehorse]

The runoff is between Bonilla and Democrat Rodriguez. Bonilla got about 64,000 votes. Rodriquez got about 24,000. The other six candidates split the difference.

[hispanarepublicana]

U. S. Representative District 23


August G. "Augie" Beltran DEM 2.14%

Rick Bolanos DEM 2.07%

Henry Bonilla - Incumbent REP 48.60%

Adrian DeLeon DEM 1.78%

Lukin Gilliland DEM 11.09%

Ciro D. Rodriguez DEM 19.87%

Craig T. Stephens IND 2.70%

Albert Uresti DEM 11.74%

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[Norman Bates]

Well if almost everyone who voted for Bonilla on Tuesday votes for him again and he gains at least a point or two from the remaining 51% out then he should win.

[Tenyaka]

Turnout is the key. The Independents won't likely show up for the run off election, so Bonilla will have to grab some Dem votes. As bad as that sounds, it is likely because Bonilla is well liked and Rodriguez comes across as a whiney slime ball (IMHO).

[BTHOtu]

I agree that turnout is the key. The optimist in me hopes that the Democrats won't feel a need to get out since the major goal was accomplished. The pessimist part of me thinks the Republicans will figure "what difference will it make?"

Ciro will run some pretty nasty ads against Henry. We need Henry back in Congress, so I think he will take the high road and run a good campaign.

[Racehorse]

Rodriguez comes across as a wishy-washy whiney slime ball.

IMHO, too. :-)

I can't help Henry, sadly. I'm in Charlie Gonzalez's district.

[SwinneySwitch]

No, but "Cero" is a 'Rat of the first order. He was an incumbent beaten in the TX-28 Dem primary in '04.

I think Henry will take him.

[deport]

Election Night Returns

11/9/2006 1:28:37 PM

Our election night returns are updated every ten minutes.
This page refreshes every five minutes, or you may click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button in order to get the current results.

U. S. Representative District 23

...	August G. "Augie"	Rick	Henry	Adrian	Lukin	Ciro D.	Craig T.	Albert	...	...	...
County	Beltran	Bolanos	Bonilla (Incumbent)	DeLeon	Gilliland	Rodriguez	Stephens	Uresti	Total	Precincts	Total
...	DEM	DEM	REP	DEM	DEM	DEM	IND	DEM	Votes	Reported	Precincts
ALL COUNTIES	2,650	2,563	60,147	2,198	13,725	24,593	3,344	14,529	123,749	326	326
Early	1,185	1,028	30,063	843	6,180	11,752	1,486	5,907	58,444	...	...
BEXAR	1,984	1,625	37,416	1,117	7,815	17,879	2,255	10,094	80,185	151	151
Early	938	653	19,021	461	3,821	8,739	1,001	4,076	38,710	...	...
BREWSTER	78	43	1,277	42	340	194	126	312	2,412	9	9
Early	32	16	742	16	201	92	67	163	1,329	...	...
CROCKETT	12	10	713	7	34	103	23	115	1,017	5	5
Early	4	3	421	3	17	37	10	47	542	...	...
CULBERSON	15	10	247	9	21	46	9	56	413	6	6
Early	3	1	74	3	2	19	6	14	122	...	...
DIMMIT	10	8	506	403	176	316	18	153	1,590	8	8
Early	1	2	168	105	50	93	7	26	452	...	...
EDWARDS	7	16	546	6	37	58	17	19	706	6	6
Early	3	9	304	3	13	28	7	11	378	...	...
EL PASO	51	314	697	77	289	409	73	50	1,960	7	7
Early	18	107	237	33	45	112	22	21	595	...	...
HUDSPETH	22	11	306	14	28	25	29	29	464	5	5
Early	2	0	112	3	5	4	11	13	150	...	...
JEFF DAVIS	9	26	635	14	118	53	62	87	1,004	6	6
Early	3	12	352	6	48	20	37	39	517	...	...
KINNEY	44	21	623	12	115	71	23	110	1,019	5	5
Early	16	10	300	4	46	30	12	52	470	...	...
MAVERICK	62	46	1,051	54	385	1,357	27	590	3,572	15	15
Early	10	10	363	19	106	391	10	216	1,125	...	...
MEDINA	138	141	6,021	65	1,049	1,155	304	612	9,485	24	24
Early	54	52	2,795	28	445	477	121	212	4,184	...	...
PECOS	21	35	1,735	44	278	265	69	513	2,960	10	10
Early	14	25	964	15	167	156	31	229	1,601	...	...
PRESIDIO	16	21	313	76	72	95	26	181	800	8	8
Early	2	8	177	26	38	40	10	76	377	...	...
REEVES	29	45	1,004	45	185	170	33	365	1,876	12	12
Early	15	28	514	26	85	97	17	182	964	...	...
SUTTON	24	6	374	14	23	90	16	50	597	4	4
Early	13	4	199	7	11	54	5	18	311	...	...
TERRELL	6	6	289	3	63	56	10	78	511	5	5
Early	4	5	220	2	1	46	6	57	341	...	...
UVALDE	60	32	2,858	31	1,049	564	96	489	5,179	15	15
Early	19	14	1,236	8	339	228	45	164	2,053	...	...
VAL VERDE	48	123	3,098	65	1,495	1,239	119	503	6,690	18	18
Early	23	66	1,679	35	695	880	60	267	3,705	...	...
ZAVALA	14	24	438	100	153	448	9	123	1,309	7	7
Early	11	3	185	40	45	209	1	24	518	...	...

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[fortheDeclaration]

Thanks!

I see there was an independent who got some 3,000 votes.

Hopefully, those votes will go to Bonilla.

It looks like the total Democrat votes are far more then the Republican's.

Hopefully, we will get out vote out and they won't.

[SwinneySwitch]

ALL COUNTIES (TX-23)

Henry B. 60,147

Democrats 60,258

Independent 3,344

Total 123,749

GOTV in December ??!!

[fortheDeclaration]

Well, it looks like we are going to need to some independent voters (libertarian?) to get the seat.

Or hope the Democrat voters don't turn out.

[SwinneySwitch]

IND is for Independent. Libertarian would be LIB.

[WalterSkinner]

..is Midland in the 23rd?

[fortheDeclaration]

The candidate was simply running as an 'Independent'?

I would assume many of the votes he received were Libertarian or Constitition Party.

[JacksonCalhoun]

The Voting Rights Act: Preventing racism by being racist.

[SwinneySwitch]

Kinky and "Grandma" Carole both ran as Independents; James Werner was the Libertarian candidate for Governor. The only Constitution Party, or CON candidate, I know of was Ron Avery in the TX-28 special election. He came in last in a 3-way race with 2 DEMS.