Texas Democrats gained at least two U.S. House seats last night that Republicans held for a long time. But the race for the huge 23rd Congressional District, which spans a strip of Texas from Bexar County to the outskirts of El Paso, is still undecided. Republican incumbent Will Hurd declared victory with a 682-vote margin, but Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa says Hurd’s opponent, Gina Ortiz Jones, is calling for a recount.
Abby Livingston is Washington correspondent for The Texas Tribune, and has been keeping a close eye on all of the congressional races in Texas during the midterm season, including the one in the 23rd District. Livingston says there are several Texas Republicans, including The Woodlands’ Kevin Brady, who will lose their committee seats in the House because Democrats are now the majority party.
“We have several other instances of that, of chairmen who will become ranking members, and it’s a lot less fun to be a ranking member,” Livingston says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– What it means for Texas politics now that Democrats control the U.S. House
– What happens now that President Donald Trump’s point person on taxes, Kevin Brady, will no longer chair the House Ways and Means committee
– Whether any Texans will end up chairing House committees
Written by Morgan Kuehler.
