SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: Find other results from the Bexar County runoff here.
UPDATE, 12:20 a.m. July 15: With nearly three-fourths of the votes counted in the Democratic runoff for state Senate District 19, Roland Gutierrez has been declared the winner over Xochil Peña Rodriguez.
Gutierrez has more than 52% of the vote, leaving Peña Rodriguez with just over 47%. It’s a difference of less than 2,000 votes.
In Bexar County, just part of the massive state senate district that stretches west, Gutierrez grabbed 55% of the vote compared to Peña Rodriguez’s 45%.
Gutierrez will face off against Republican incumbent Pete Flores in the general election in November.
“Unfortunately, we came up short. While it is disappointing, I am not discouraged because so many people across the district believed in our campaign’s message of a better future for our community and our children -- and you were willing to join me in fighting for it,” Peña Rodriguez said in a statement Wednesday. “We may not have won this election, but we’ll be back because we know the importance of public service and of fighting for what matters. Texas and our country still need change. That’s why I intend to keep working to make sure Democratic voters turnout for the general election. I wish all Democrats on the ballot the best of luck in November.”
Votes
%
Roland Gutierrez(D)
Xochil Peña Rodriguez(D)
(369 / 369)
Background:
This district will be one of the most interesting to watch both during the runoff and in November. Currently held by Republican Pete Flores, who surprised everyone with a victory in a special election against former Democratic Congressman and now Sul Ross University President Pete Gallego, the district had been held by Democrats for decades. The special election was called ahead of the 2019 Legislature after state Sen. Carlos Uresti resigned following a fraud conviction.
That means Gutierrez, currently a state Rep., and Peña Rodriguez are vying for a solid chance at a seat in the Texas Senate in November and they have swatted at each other publicly for the last several months.
Peña Rodriguez nearly avoided a runoff in March but Gutierrez usurped 36% of the vote, barely squeezing her into a runoff.
Rodriguez is the daughter of Bexar County Justice of the Peace Ciro Rodriguez and this is her first time running for a political office.
Related: Xochil Peña Rodriguez, Rep. Roland Gutierrez headed to runoff for state Senate District 19
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