TEXAS

The Senate:...
Republican Incumbent: John Cornyn
Democratic Challenger: Rick Noriega

The House:...

• Texas's 17th congressional district: Republican Rob Curnock will look to unseat Chet Edwards (D) in this heavily Republican district that covers Waco and the Bryan-College Station area. Also running for the seat are Libertarians Gardner Osborne and Robert Allan Vernon.^[168] The district gave George W. Bush 70% of the vote in 2004 and includes Crawford, the home of Bush’s ranch. Edwards was the sole survivor among the Texas Democrats targeted by the mid-decade redistricting effective in 2004, reelected that year with just 51%, but easily defeated Iraq War veteran Van Taylor (who was highly touted as a top-flight candidate by the GOP) by 40% to 58% respectively, in 2006.

• Texas's 22nd congressional district: This seat was vacated by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who resigned amid reports over his campaign finance activities. Democrat Nick Lampson won the general election, facing only a Libertarian and write-in opposition from Republicans. Republican Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, a dermatologist and former Houston City Councilwoman, won the special election held on the same day and in which Lampson did not run, and she served as a member of congress for almost two months before Lampson was sworn in. Lampson is running for re-election but is expected to face a difficult race in 2008, as he represents a heavily Republican constituency that voted for George W. Bush over John Kerry by a 2 to 1 (66% to 33%) margin (CPVI=R+15), more than any other district that fell to the Democrats in 2006. In an added development, Lampson has had serious health problems, including recent quadruple heart bypass surgery. The district takes in several wealthy and conservative suburbs south of Houston, including Sugar Land, Pasadena, Pearland, and the Clear Lake area of Houston. This district also includes the NASA Johnson Space Center and Ellington Field. Lampson won the Democrat nomination. The Republican nominee is Pete Olson, who defeated Sekula-Gibbs in a primary runoff. Libertarian John Wieder^[168] and Joel West of the Green Party are also running^[169]

• Texas's 23rd congressional district: Former Democratic Representative Ciro Rodriguez won a 54% to 46% victory in a runoff against Republican incumbent Henry Bonilla on December 12, 2006. Rodriguez was aided by low turnout, especially in the conservative areas of the district. His seat is a natural target for Republicans in 2008. The district, which is a majority Hispanic one to the south and west of downtown San Antonio, stretching across West Texas into Del Rio and other towns along the Mexican border and Big Bend National Park, reaching all the way to just east of El Paso, is politically marginal. Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson won the Republican primary by a 63% to 37% margin, larger than expected. Libertarian Lani Connolly is also running.^[168]

• Texas's 27th congressional district: Moderate Democrat Solomon Ortiz, the Dean of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will turn 71 in 2008. Ortiz received 57% of the vote in 2006, a six-point decline from his 2004 performance, which was somewhat of an anomaly given the strong anti-Republican voting mood of 2006, where Democrats either performed above their 2004 performance or ran without opposition. In 2004, George W. Bush carried this South Texas district, which includes Corpus Christi as well as Brownsville and South Padre Island. Former Ingleside, Texas Mayor Willie Vaden is the Republican nominee and Robert Powell is the Libertarian candidate.^[168] Republicans may try to target this seat given its vulnerability.