# Texas's 16th congressional district

Texas's 16th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes almost all of El Paso and most of its suburbs in the state of Texas. The current Representative is Democrat Veronica Escobar.
The district was initially created in 1903. For most of the next six decades, it stretched across 42,000 square miles (110,000 km$^2$), from El Paso in the west to the Permian Basin (Midland and Odessa) in the east. However, after Texas' original 1960 district map was thrown out as a result of Wesberry v. Sanders, the 16th was shrunk down to the city of El Paso (except a sliver in the east) and most of its surrounding suburban communities.
Since the 1990s, the 16th has been the only Democratic bastion in heavily Republican West Texas. While it has been a majority-Hispanic district since the 1970s, only two Hispanics have ever represented it, Silvestre Reyes and Escobar.

## Recent election results from statewide races

| Year | Office | Results |
| 2008 | President | Obama 65% - 34% |
| 2012 | President | Obama 66% - 34% |
| 2014 | Senate | Alameel 57% - 43% |
| 2014 | Governor | Davis 61% - 39% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 68% - 26% |
| 2018 | Senate | O'Rourke 74% - 25% |
| 2018 | Governor | Valdez 67% - 32% |
| 2018 | Lt. Governor | Collier 68% - 29% |
| 2018 | Attorney General | Nelson 69% - 27% |
| 2020 | President | Biden 67% - 32% |
| 2020 | Senate | Hegar 64% - 31% |
| 2022 | Governor | O'Rourke 64% - 35% |
| 2022 | Lt. Governor | Collier 61% - 35% |
| 2022 | Attorney General | Mercedes Garza 63% - 34% |
| 2022 | Comptroller of Public Accounts | Dudding 60% - 35% |
| 2024 | President | Harris 57% - 41% |
| 2024 | Senate | Allred 58% - 38% |

## Composition

For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities:
El Paso County (9)
    Anthony, Canutillo, El Paso (part; also 23rd), Fort Bliss (part; also 23rd), Horizon City (part; also 23rd), Prado Verde, Sparks, Socorro (part; also 23rd), Vinton, Westway

## List of members representing the district

| Representative | Party | Years | Cong ess | Electoral history |
| District established March 4, 1903 |||||
| William Robert Smith (Colorado) | Democratic | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1917 | 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd 63rd 64th | Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. [data missing] |
| Thomas L. Blanton (Abilene) | Democratic | March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1919 | 65th | Elected in 1916. Redistricted to the 17th district. |
| Claude Benton Hudspeth (El Paso) | Democratic | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1931 | 66th 67th 68th 69th 70th 71st | Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. [data missing] |
| R. Ewing Thomason (El Paso) | Democratic | March 4, 1931 – July 31, 1947 | 72nd 73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th | Elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Resigned to become U.S. District Judge. |
| Vacant | Vacant | July 31, 1947 – August 23, 1947 | 80th | |
| Kenneth M. Regan (Midland) | Democratic | August 23, 1947 – January 3, 1955 | 80th 81st 82nd 83rd | Elected to finish Thomason's term. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Lost renomination. |
| J. T. Rutherford (Odessa) | Democratic | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963 | 84th 85th 86th 87th | Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Lost re-election. |
| Ed Foreman (Odessa) | Republican | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965 | 88th | Elected in 1962. Lost re-election. |
| Richard C. White (El Paso) | Democratic | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1983 | 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th | Elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Retired. |
| Ronald D. Coleman (El Paso) | Democratic | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1997 | 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th | Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Retired. |
| Silvestre Reyes (El Paso) | Democratic | January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013 | 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th | Elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Lost renomination. |
| Beto O'Rourke (El Paso) | Democratic | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | 113th 114th 115th | Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. |
| Veronica Escobar (El Paso) | Democratic | January 3, 2019 – present | 116th 117th 118th 119th | Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. |

## Recent elections
### 2006

2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Silvestre Reyes (incumbent) | 61,116 | 78.67 |
| | Libertarian | Gordon Strickland | 16,572 | 21.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 77,688 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2008

2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Silvestre Reyes (incumbent) | 130,375 | 82.14 |
| | Independent | Ben Mendoza | 16,348 | 10.30 |
| | Libertarian | Mette Baker | 12,000 | 7.56 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 158,723 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2010

2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Silvestre Reyes (incumbent) | 49,301 | 58.08 |
| | Republican | Tim Besco | 31,051 | 36.58 |
| | Libertarian | Bill Collins | 4,319 | 5.09 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 221 | 0.26 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 84,892 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2012

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Beto O'Rourke | 101,403 | 65.42 |
| | Republican | Barbara Carrasco | 51,043 | 32.93 |
| | Libertarian | Junart Sodoy | 2,559 | 1.65 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 155,005 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2014

2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Beto O'Rourke (incumbent) | 49,338 | 67.49 |
| | Republican | Corey Roen | 21,324 | 29.17 |
| | Libertarian | Jaime Pérez | 2,443 | 3.34 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 73,105 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2016

2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Beto O'Rourke (incumbent) | 150,228 | 85.73 |
| | Libertarian | Jaime Pérez | 17,491 | 9.98 |
| | Green | Mary Gourdoux | 7,510 | 4.29 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 175,229 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2018

2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Veronica Escobar | 124,437 | 68.46 |
| | Republican | Rick Seeberger | 49,127 | 27.03 |
| | Independent | Ben Mendoza | 8,147 | 4.48 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 181,754 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2020

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Veronica Escobar (incumbent) | 154,108 | 64.72 |
| | Republican | Irene Armendariz-Jackson | 84,006 | 35.28 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 238,114 | 100.00 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2022

2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Veronica Escobar (incumbent) | 95,510 | 63.46 |
| | Republican | Irene Armendariz-Jackson | 54,986 | 36.54 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 150,496 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2024

2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas: District 16 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Veronica Escobar (incumbent) | 131,391 | 59.54 |
| | Republican | Irene Armendariz-Jackson | 89,281 | 40.46 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 220,672 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |