Texas' 15th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
|
 |
November 8, 2016 |
March 1, 2016 |
Vicente Gonzalez  |
Ruben Hinojosa Sr. |
 |
Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
 |
The 15th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Vicente Gonzalez (D) defeated Tim Westley (R), Vanessa Tijerina (G), and Ross Lynn Leone (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. A runoff for both parties was held on May 24, 2016. In the runoff primaries, Westley defeated Ruben Villarreal, and Gonzalez defeated Juan Palacios Jr. Incumbent Ruben Hinojosa did not seek re-election.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes)[6]
| “ | The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.'[7] | ” |
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Ruben Hinojosa Sr. (D), who was first elected in 1996. Hinojosa announced his retirement on November 13, 2015.[8]
Texas' 15th Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state. All of Brooks, Duval, Jim Hogg, Karnes, and Live Oak counties along with parts of Guadalupe, Hidalgo, and Wilson counties make up the district.[9]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Vicente Gonzalez |
57.3% | 101,712 | |
| Republican | Tim Westley | 37.7% | 66,877 | |
| Green | Vanessa Tijerina | 3.1% | 5,448 | |
| Libertarian | Ross Lynn Leone | 1.9% | 3,442 | |
| Total Votes | 177,479 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tim Westley |
45% | 13,164 | ||
| Ruben Villarreal |
32% | 9,349 | ||
| Xavier Salinas | 23% | 6,734 | ||
| Total Votes | 29,247 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tim Westley |
50.5% | 1,384 | ||
| Ruben Villarreal | 49.5% | 1,355 | ||
| Total Votes | 2,739 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vicente Gonzalez |
42.2% | 22,151 | ||
| Juan Palacios Jr. |
18.9% | 9,913 | ||
| Dolly Elizondo | 16.9% | 8,888 | ||
| Joel Quintanilla | 11.7% | 6,152 | ||
| Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa | 6% | 3,149 | ||
| Rance Sweeten | 4.2% | 2,224 | ||
| Total Votes | 52,477 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vicente Gonzalez |
65.7% | 16,071 | ||
| Juan Palacios Jr. | 34.3% | 8,379 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,450 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Vicente Gonzalez   Tim Westley Ross Lynn Leone Vanessa Tijerina |
|
Runoff candidates: |
|
Democratic Juan Palacios Jr. |
Republican Ruben Villarreal |
|
Primary candidates:[10] |
|
Democratic Juan Palacios Jr. - Attorney[12] Dolly Elizondo - Realtor[13] Joel Quintanilla[14] Rance Sweeten[14] Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa[14] |
Republican Xavier Salinas[14] Tim Westley[14] |
|
Third Party/Other Vanessa Tijerina (Green)[16] |
|
Not running: |
|
Withdrew: Johnny Partain[14] |
District history
2014
The 15th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Ruben Hinojosa Sr. (D) defeated Eddie Zamora (R) and Johnny Partain (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Hinojosa Incumbent |
54% | 48,708 | |
| Republican | Eddie Zamora | 43.3% | 39,016 | |
| Libertarian | Johnny Partain | 2.7% | 2,460 | |
| Total Votes | 90,184 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 15th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which incumbent Ruben Hinojosa Sr. (D) won re-election. He defeated Dale Brueggemann (R) and Ronald Finch (L) in the general election.[18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Hinojosa Incumbent |
60.9% | 89,296 | |
| Republican | Dale A. Brueggemann | 36.9% | 54,056 | |
| Libertarian | Ron Finch | 2.3% | 3,309 | |
| Total Votes | 146,661 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Texas elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Texas in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| September 15, 2015 | Ballot access | First day to file for a place on the primary ballot for precinct chair candidates | |
| November 14, 2015 | Ballot access | First day to file for all other candidates for offices that are regularly scheduled to be on the primary ballot | |
| December 14, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing deadline for candidates; filing deadline for independent candidates to file intent declaration | |
| January 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | January semi-annual report due | |
| February 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30th-day pre-primary report due | |
| February 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Personal financial statement due | |
| February 22, 2016 | Campaign finance | 8th-day pre-primary report due | |
| March 1, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| May 16, 2016 | Campaign finance | 8th-day pre-runoff report due | |
| July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance | July semi-annual report due | |
| October 11, 2016 | Campaign finance | 30th-day pre-election report due | |
| October 31, 2016 | Campaign finance | 8th-day pre-election report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 17, 2017 | Campaign finance | January semi-annual report due | |
| Sources: Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed July 17, 2016 Texas Ethics Commission, "2016 Filing Schedule for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with the Texas Ethics Commission," accessed November 25, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 15, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Texas Primary Results," March 1, 2016
- ↑ Texas Statutes, "Section 172.086," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ ValleyCentral.com, "Congressman Rubén Hinojosa annouces decision to retire," November 13, 2015
- ↑ Texas Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Edinburg/McAllen Politics, "Democrat Vicente González, McAllen attorney who defends businesses and individuals against dishonest insurance companies, announces for Congress to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Hinojosa," November 23, 2015
- ↑ The Monitor, " 2announce intent to run for Congress," November 20, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Texas Realtor to Run for Hinojosa Seat," December 3, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 14, 2015
- ↑ The Libertarian Party of Texas, "2016 Candidates," accessed May 4, 2016
- ↑ Green Party of Texas, "2016 Candidate Applicants," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ ValleyCentral.com, "Congressman Rubén Hinojosa annouces decision to retire," November 13, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Texas," November 6, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
