Texas' 34th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
|
 |
November 8, 2016 |
March 1, 2016 |
Filemon Vela  |
Filemon Vela |
 |
Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe D[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe D[3] |
 |
The 34th 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. Incumbent Filemon Vela (D) defeated Rey Gonzalez Jr. (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Vela faced no opposition in the Democratic primary on March 1, 2016, while Gonzalez defeated William "Willie" Vaden to win the Republican nomination.[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. State law requires voters to sign the following pledge before voting in a primary: "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."[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election, the incumbent was Filemon Vela (D), who was first elected in 2012.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Texas' 34th Congressional District was located in the southern portion of the state and included Bee, Cameron, DeWitt, Goliad, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, and Willacy counties and portions of Gonzales, Hidalgo, and San Patricio counties.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Filemon Vela Incumbent |
62.7% | 104,638 | |
| Republican | Rey Gonzalez Jr. | 37.3% | 62,323 | |
| Total Votes | 166,961 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rey Gonzalez Jr. |
50.6% | 12,532 | ||
| William Vaden | 49.4% | 12,253 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,785 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Filemon Vela   Rey Gonzalez Jr. |
|
Primary candidates:[8] |
|
Democratic |
Republican William "Willie" Vaden[9] |
District history
2014
The 34th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Filemon Vela (D) defeated Larry Smith (R) and Ryan Rowley (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Filemon Vela Incumbent |
59.5% | 47,503 | |
| Republican | Larry Smith | 38.6% | 30,811 | |
| Libertarian | Ryan Rowley | 2% | 1,563 | |
| Total Votes | 79,877 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 34th Congressional District of Texas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which Filemon Vela (D) won election. He defeated Jessica Puente Bradshaw (R) and Steven Shanklin (L) in the general election.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Filemon Vela |
61.9% | 89,606 | |
| Republican | Jessica Puente Bradshaw | 36.2% | 52,448 | |
| Libertarian | Steven Shanklin | 1.9% | 2,724 | |
| Total Votes | 144,778 | |||
| Source: Texas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Texas elections, 2016
The calendar below listed 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 Constitution and Statutes, "Tex. Election Code Ann. § 172.086," accessed September 16, 2025
- ↑ Texas Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Texas Secretary of State, "2016 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County," accessed December 14, 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!
