Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones Advances To Runoff In Texas Congressional Race
Source: Huffington Post
03/07/2018 05:22 pm ET
She won more votes than her four primary opponents. If she wins the runoff, she could make history in November.
By Jennifer Bendery
ANA MARTINEZ CHAMORRO
At 36, Gina Ortiz Jones has served in the Air Force, deployed to Iraq, worked as an intelligence officer and is now running for Congress. A real underachiever.
WASHINGTON ― Texas Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones got the most votes in Tuesday’s night’s primary. But she fell short of 51 percent, so she’ll face fellow Democrat Rick Trevino in a May runoff.
Ortiz Jones won 41 percent of the vote, well above any of her four opponents. Trevino came in second at 17 percent. Whoever wins the May runoff will go up against Rep. Will Hurd (R) in November.
A former Air Force intelligence officer, Ortiz Jones served in Iraq under President George W. Bush and as a high-level director within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under President Barack Obama. Her bid for Congress marks her first time running for office, and if she wins, Ortiz Jones would make history as the first lesbian, first Iraq War veteran and first Filipina-American to hold a U.S. House seat in Texas.
If she faces him in November, it won’t be easy for Ortiz Jones to unseat Hurd. The two-term congressman has a lot more money, and Texas’ 23rd Congressional District leans Republican.
Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gina-ortiz-jones-texas-democrat-congress_us_5a9ec308e4b0d4f5b66aceb6
