In the race for the District 23 state House of Representatives seat, incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales seems headed for a runoff against GOP challenger Brandon Herrera after the release of statewide early voting results. Democrat results in the same race show that Katy Padilla Stout could win the nomination outright.
Gonzales has 44% of the early results to Herrera’s 41% in the four-person race. Keith Barton earned 9% and Francisco “Quico” Canseco received 6%.
On the Democrat side, Padilla Stout is leading with 54%. She is followed by Santos Limon, 24%; Bruce Richardson, 12%; and Gretel Enck, 10%.
The El Paso early voting results are similar.
Gonzales received 43% of the early vote in El Paso, followed by Herrera, 36%; Barton, 16%; and Canseco, 5%.
In the Democratic primary, Padilla Stout leads with 40% of the early votes followed by Limon, 35%; Richardson, 16%; and Enck, 9%.
The primaries unfolded as Gonzales faced renewed scrutiny following reports detailing allegations of an extramarital affair. Gonzales has acknowledged a personal relationship but has said the matter does not affect his work representing the district. The controversy surfaced weeks before early voting began and became a point of discussion in the closing stretch of the race.
Gonzales, 45, promoted border enforcement and immigration policy during his most recent campaign. He has said that the nation can be compassionate, but must enforce its laws. He also has said that Congress must do a better job of addressing the economic pressures facing families, but did not outline how it should do that.
Herrera, 41, a firearms manufacturer and social media personality, lost to Gonzales two years ago in the GOP District 23 runoff by 407 votes. He campaigned on stronger federal authority at the borders meaning more legal, physical and technological barriers. He also talked about re-establishing congressional control over spending. He promoted the expansion of domestic energy production.
Padilla Stout, a 40-year-old attorney who has represented foster children, based her campaign on social safety nets, health care access and reductions that will benefit working families. The former public school teacher wants to strengthen programs such as SNAP because of how important they are to a family’s survival. She also voiced her support of universal pre K and paid parental leave.
Limon, 52, a civil engineer and international infrastructure consultant, said his background in working with the federal government has given him insights into how to leverage federal resources. He plans to promote high-speed rail, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing as a way to build the district’s economy. Additionally, he would work to fully fund SNAP, Social Security and Medicare.
If no candidate earns more than 50%, the top two finishers will face each other in a May 26 runoff. The winners of those contests will square off at the Nov. 3 general election.
Voters have to cast ballots in the same party during the May runoff elections as in the primaries. Those who didn’t vote in the primary can vote in either party during the runoff.
The winners from each party will face off in the Nov. 3 midterms. In November, voters can cast ballots in either party regardless of what party they voted in during the primaries.
Texas’ 23rd Congressional District stretches from El Paso’s Lower Valley across rural West Texas to San Antonio, making it one of the largest and most geographically diverse districts in the country. The district includes border communities, ranching towns and large suburban areas. At 58,000 square miles, it is twice the size of West Virginia and stretches more than 800 miles along the Texas-Mexico border.
The seat has historically been competitive due to redistricting and shifting voting patterns across a swath of Texas that is largely rural and runs along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gonzales won reelection in 2024 by a double-digit margin after narrowly surviving a Republican primary runoff against Herrera earlier that year.
District 23 has long reflected the political crosscurrents of Texas border communities, where economic concerns, immigration policy and turnout patterns often shape election outcomes.
Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms and earn a base salary of $174,000. The winners of the 2026 general elections will be sworn into office when the 120th Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2027.
The post Gonzales leads GOP race for District 23; Padilla Stout nears majority appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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