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SCREEN CAPTURE
Gina Ortiz Jones during a press conference last week. |
VIRGINIA'S REP. BOBBY SCOTT will remain the lone Filipino American in the U.S. Congress after Gina Ortiz Jones ended her quest in Texas.
While Scott was unopposed in his Nov. 6 midterm contest, it took almost two weeks to determine the winner of Congressional District 23. Ortiz Jones ran a tough aggressive campaign narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Rep. Will Hurd by a little more than 1,000 votes.
“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," Jones said in a statement sent out via social media.
Hurd, whose campaign received massive amounts of PAC funds is the only African American Republican in Congress issued a statement thanking his family and supporters.
"I want to thank my opponent and her supporters for engaging in the democratic process. To thrive, our democracy needs a vigorous competition of ideas, and whether you voted for me or not, I will need your help," said Hurd.
Hurd, whose campaign received massive amounts of PAC funds is the only African American Republican in Congress issued a statement thanking his family and supporters.
"I want to thank my opponent and her supporters for engaging in the democratic process. To thrive, our democracy needs a vigorous competition of ideas, and whether you voted for me or not, I will need your help," said Hurd.
Ortiz Jones' concession thus skipping a possible recount surprised some supporters because she showed no sign of giving up, accepting the invitation to attend the freshmen orientation session in Washington last week.
If Ortiz Jones had won, she would have been the first Filipina American to serve in Congress. She was one of five Filipino Americans running for Congress in the midterm elections. Scott was the only one to win, running unopposed for his 14th term. Republican Christina Osmena and Democrats TJ Cox of California and Jennifer Mijaris-Zimmerman of Florida did not succeed in their bid to unseat incumbents
(UPDATE: As of Nov. 21, the race for California's District 21 with TJ Cox running against a Republican incumbent is still too close to call.)
Texas's sprawling 23rd District stretches from the western suburbs of San Antonio to the eastern suburbs of El Paso in the far-west tip of the state and includes 800-miles of the Texas-Mexico border.
A week after Election Day, Jones said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen had not made public the list of provisional voters in the race, making it difficult for voters to ensure their ballots officially counted.
“We’ve had issues in Bexar County providing information that should be a matter of public record,” Ortiz Jones said in a news conference. “This includes the list of folks that voted via provisional ballot.”
Last week, the former Air Force intelligence officer, sued the Bexar County election administrator for not making public a list of provisional voters and asked for a 48-hour extension for the counting of their ballots.
Ortiz Jones' hopes were dashed when a Bexar County judge denied the deadline extension to validate provisional ballots. She had to depend only on the validated votes by the deadline.
The Blue Wave that swept through some Republican-held Congressional seats, especially in California, didn't have as huge an impact in Texas although Democrats were able to unseat two House Republicans. However, that was tempered in the State Legislature where Republicans increased their majority in the Senate.
(UPDATE: As of Nov. 21, the race for California's District 21 with TJ Cox running against a Republican incumbent is still too close to call.)
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| From left: Rep. Bobby Scott, Christina Osmena and Jennifer Mijares-Zimmerman. |
Texas's sprawling 23rd District stretches from the western suburbs of San Antonio to the eastern suburbs of El Paso in the far-west tip of the state and includes 800-miles of the Texas-Mexico border.
A week after Election Day, Jones said Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacquelyn Callanen had not made public the list of provisional voters in the race, making it difficult for voters to ensure their ballots officially counted.
“We’ve had issues in Bexar County providing information that should be a matter of public record,” Ortiz Jones said in a news conference. “This includes the list of folks that voted via provisional ballot.”
Last week, the former Air Force intelligence officer, sued the Bexar County election administrator for not making public a list of provisional voters and asked for a 48-hour extension for the counting of their ballots.
Ortiz Jones' hopes were dashed when a Bexar County judge denied the deadline extension to validate provisional ballots. She had to depend only on the validated votes by the deadline.
The Blue Wave that swept through some Republican-held Congressional seats, especially in California, didn't have as huge an impact in Texas although Democrats were able to unseat two House Republicans. However, that was tempered in the State Legislature where Republicans increased their majority in the Senate.
Although Democrats were able to win over 54% of Latino voters, Democrats needed a better turnout and a greater percentage of Latinos to overcome the traditionally conservative state.
Nevertheless, the impressive showing of Beto O'Rourke in challenging incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, and the performances of Gina Ortiz Jones and Sri Preston Kulkarni in the 22nd Congressional District give Democrats hope that changing demographics of the Lone Star state may turn Texas purple by 2020.
"Turning Texas blue is not an event, it's a process," state Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in an interview with the Texas Tribune, "and I think 2020 will put us, if not blue, purple — deep purple."
Editor's note: Earlier versions of this article did not have the results for TJ Cox running in California's District 21.
"Turning Texas blue is not an event, it's a process," state Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in an interview with the Texas Tribune, "and I think 2020 will put us, if not blue, purple — deep purple."
Editor's note: Earlier versions of this article did not have the results for TJ Cox running in California's District 21.
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