Democrat Gina Ortiz-Jones formally conceded to Republican Will Hurd in the race for the 23rd District Congressional seat, formally settling the closest Congressional race in the state in 2018, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
“While we came up short this time, we ran a race of which we can be proud. I remain committed to serving my community and country, and I wish Will Hurd the courage to fight for TX-23 in the way in which our district deserves," she said in a statement.
When the votes were counted on election night, Ortiz Jones and Hurd see-sawed back and forth all evening, with Hurd finally ending the night with about an 800 vote margin out of more than 200,000 votes cast.
Ortiz Jones said she would wait until the provisional and military ballots were counted, and all the votes were canvassed.
Medina County, the last county in the sprawling district to canvass its vote totals, finally finalized the county today, with Hurd still ahead in the district, which stretches from north San Antonio all the way to El Paso.
“Our campaign was based on the belief that everyone is equal - equally deserving to be heard at the ballot box and served in our communities. We worked hard to make this a reality, understanding this is the only path toward the more perfect union that our founders envisioned," she said.
The 23rd District has elected both Republicans and Democrats for the last decade, living up to its reputation as one of the few truly competitive Congressional districts in the country.
This will be Hurd's third term as the 23rd District Representative, the first member since Republican Henry Bonilla in the early 2000s to serve that long in the district.
PHOTO COURTESY: GINA ORTIZ JONES CAMPAIGN