EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The race in Texas Congressional District 23 is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in the nation.
The district stretches from East El Paso County all the way to San Antonio, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
This race could go a long way in deciding which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives for the next two years.
The Democratic nominee is Katy Padilla Stout, while her Republican opponent is Brandon Herrera.
Herrera visited El Paso County on Tuesday, Oct. 27 to shore up support ahead of next Tuesday’s midterm election.
Herrera talked about data centers, border security and social issues at this meet-and-greet in Clint.
All was part of a get-out-the-vote effort with a little less than a week till the midterm election.
Like other Republican candidates campaigning in El Paso for state and federal offices, Herrera urged his supporters to rally as many voters as they can to vote in the upcoming election.
Herrera likened Texas — a GOP stronghold — as a prize for Democrats and said if the state were to turn blue, a Republican would never be president again.
Polls this midterm cycle have found federal and state races in Texas to be more competitive than they have been in recent memory and with Republicans hoping to keep control of Congress, candidates are urging their supporters to rally behind them.
Herrera says out-of-state Democratic groups are putting money behind his opponent to flip District 23.
“There is a reason they want this state,” Herrera said. “And there is a reason they are spending millions of dollars to do it. But the thing is, I have this weird opinion that the people that live in the state of Texas know what’s better for the state of Texas.”
Herrera has earned the backing of President Donald Trump, but the top GOP office holder in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, has not endorsed him.
And Herrera will have to address past concerns about his comments about women and the use of Nazi imagery in his social media to win over voters leaning toward his opponent or who are still undecided.
Polls indicate this race is tight and every vote will count. West Texas and El Paso County may be in play if votes in San Antonio and Uvalde are not enough to seal this one for Herrera or his opponent, Katy Padilla Stout.
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