Hurd defeats Gallego to hold on to congressional seat

Republican Rep. Will Hurd is staying in Congress after surviving concerns about Donald Trump and a hard-fought rematch with the candidate he narrowly unseated two years ago.

Hurd beat former Democratic Rep. Pete Gallego in a district that sprawls from San Antonio nearly to El Paso, encompassing 800-plus miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

An ex-CIA agent and one of only three black congressional Republicans, Hurd limited Gallego to a single term by beating him in 2014. Tuesday’s race was the only competitive one among Texas’ 36 congressional districts.

Hurd outraised Gallego and urged Trump to abandon the GOP presidential nomination after the release of a recording where the New Yorker made crude comments about women.

His victory marks the first time the district hasn’t flipped between parties since 2010.