Texas Dem seeks 2016 rematch for House

Former Rep. Pete Gallego (D) announced Thursday he’ll seek a rematch with Rep. Will Hurd (R) in 2016 for what is arguably the lone battleground district in Texas.

“Taking on another campaign when I have a young son at home is not easy, but Congress is more broken than ever,” Gallego wrote on his website. “Congressman Will Hurd has quickly become part of the problem. I have proven myself to be a leader who can get things done by working well with both Republicans and Democrats — that remains all too rare in D.C.”.

{mosads}In 2012, Gallego, a Blue Dog Democrat, won his first term in the House representing Texas’s Republican-leaning 23rd Congressional District. The vast district spans from San Antonio in the east to El Paso in the west and shares about 800 miles of border with Mexico.

In 2014, Gallego lost his reelection bid for the state’s most competitive seat to Hurd by about 2,500 votes in a race that saw a Libertarian candidate take about 3,000 votes.

Hurd is a former undercover officer for the CIA and one of three black Republicans in Congress.

“Seeing Congressman Hurd so decisively on the wrong side of issues that matter to Texas families like mine made this an easier decision for María Elena, Nicolás and me,” Gallego wrote. “Texas families deserve better — so yes, I am going to run and I am going to win.”