Democrats seize Texas border seat in shakeup of House balance

Texas politics shifted Tuesday night as Katy Padilla Stout was declared the winner in the 23rd Congressional District.

The victory ends eight years of Republican control over a seat that stretches from parts of San Antonio across West and South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border. Stout, a Democrat, defeated Republican Brandon Herrera and independent Ben Mendoza in a contest that drew national scrutiny from both major parties.

The race was triggered by the departure of former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales. He resigned from Congress after announcing he would not seek reelection amid a personal scandal involving an affair with a former staffer. That staffer later died by suicide. Gonzales initially forced a Republican primary runoff against Herrera, a gun manufacturer and rights activist known online as the AK Guy, before withdrawing from the race entirely.

Herrera became the Republican nominee for the November election following his primary win. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Herrera after Gonzales dropped out. Trump stated that Herrera would work to grow the economy, cut taxes and regulations, expand domestic energy production, secure the border, and protect Second Amendment rights.

Stout, an attorney and former teacher, was the Democratic nominee. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the district to its Districts in Play list in August. The committee argued that Herrera’s controversial public profile gave Democrats an opportunity in the heavily Latino district. Republicans had defended the seat as favorable to the GOP despite the national attention surrounding the candidates.

Stout will serve a two-year term in the U.S. House. The result impacts the ongoing competition between Democrats and Republicans for control of the chamber. The district had been represented by Republicans continuously since 2015.