Breaking news: Roll Call says congressman Charles Gonzalez will not seek reelection
This creates new opportunities for Latinos. Joaquin Castro could run in Gonzalez’s central San Antonio district instead of the weird IH 35 district that connects southeast Travis County to southeast Bexar County, the shape of which arguably violates the requirement that districts must be compact and contiguous. [The Texas Tribune is reporting that Castro will announce that he is running in CD-20 tomorrow morning.] Other possible beneficiaries are Trey Martinez-Fischer, Jose Menendez, and Michael Villarreal. The Constitution of the United States does not require a congressional candidate to be a resident of the district he or she seeks to represent. State Senator Carlos Uresti may also want to take a look. The new 35th district is a safe Latino seat, so it could also appeal to pols who hold local offices.
Alan says:
“The Constitution of the United States does not require a congressional candidate to be a resident of the district he or she seeks to represent.”
But how many congressional candidates have ever actually gotten away with it?
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Anon. says:
In the most recent Congress, eight.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=congressmen+not+living+in+their+districts
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Abuela says:
Don’t forget popular Bexar County Tax Accessor Sylvia Romo. She has sold numbers countywide.Could be 1st Latina in Congress frm TX .
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Anonymous says:
Umm…The new 35th doesn’t run from Travis County to Bexar. It starts in Hays and Caldwell and goes through Bexar to Atascosa. I also wouldn’t call it a safe latino seat, Obama got 54% in it. Definitely leans to a latino seat, but still precarious.
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anonymous says:
I’m 100 percent for anyone but Castro. This campaign has shown his true colors. Castro is too politically ambitious to be trusted. I’d much rather see Martinez-Fisher representing district 20.
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Anonymous Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
You would rather see Trey Martinez Fischer? That guy is an arrogant bully who likes to run his mouth and cuss out constituents he doesn’t like.
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Huh? Reply:
November 26th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
“Too ambitious?”
Van Taylor is too ambitious. Castro served five, two-year terms in the Texas House. He established himself as a reliable and thoughtful legislator, particularly in higher education.
A more ambitious person would have been trying to move up every time the winds moved. You may not like that he ran for a seat that Doggett decided was his (it wasn’t) but that doesn’t make him “too ambitious.”
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Admonkey says:
Castro will announce in a presser a couple of hours after Gonzalez’ own retirement presser @ 3:00.
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Political Observer says:
What about Senator Leticia Van de Puke. Wouldn’t she be interested in that Congressional seat, too?
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Blue Dogs Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
The SA Mayor is running for Gonzalez’s seat right ?
Good news for Doggett, who must be breathing a sigh of relief.
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DINO Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Blue Dogs, there are two Castro brothers, twins. One is SA mayor and the other is a state representative.
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