On Thursday (June 7), John Bustamante will endorse Ciro Rodgriguez over Pete Gallego in the runoff for the Democratic Party nomination for U.S. Congress.
The contest for the Democratic Party primary on May 29 for U.S. Congress was a close one. The top two candidates for Texas-23, Ciro Rodriguez and Pete Gallego, are now entered into a runoff, which will be decided by the voters on Tuesday, July 31. Rodriguez received 18,236 votes while Gallego won 16,213.
The "also-ran" candidate was John Bustamante, in his first run for public office. He received 13.25% of the vote, with 5,262 ballots.
On Wednesday, Bustamante said, "Ciro's distinguished history of service, particularly in the areas of protection of our seniors and veterans affairs, demonstrates his commitment and understanding of the needs of the community."
Bustamante and Rodriguez reside in San Antonio; Gallego hails from Alpine. Rodriguez formerly represented District 23, but was defeated by current U.S. Congressman Quico Canseco. Gallego represented Texas District 74 as a senior member of the Texas House.
KRTS interviewed Bustamante about his inaugural run for office, but did not speak with Rodriguez or Gallego prior to the May 29 election. KRTS will interview the two runoff candidates prior to the July 31 election. Early voting will be available July 23-27.