Another one bites the dust: Beto O'Rourke ousts eight-term U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes

Winner - Beto O'Rourke (photo from the El Paso Times)

From the El Paso Times - By Chris Roberts - Former city Rep. Beto O'Rourke bucked a nationwide trend Tuesday night by ousting eight-term U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the 16th Congressional District race. In the final tally, O'Rourke beat Reyes by 23,248 votes to 20,427, or 50.5 percent to 44.4 percent. Nationally, challengers rarely defeat incumbents in primary elections, and only a few exceptions have occurred so far this election cycle.  O'Rourke said he connected to voters by personally ringing more than 16,000 doorbells across the county. And he said people told him they were ready for change. In those over-the-fence conversations, O'Rourke said, he found common themes. El Paso needed economic stimulus, which means good jobs, and a full-service Veterans Affairs hospital. O'Rourke hammered Reyes for not solving the problem of long waits at the international bridges. He said those bottlenecks are choking off millions of dollars in commerce and threatening tens of thousands of jobs. The congressman also made an issue of O'Rourke's stand on legalizing marijuana, which Reyes opposed. O'Rourke said it would deny cartels a major profit source, potentially reducing violence in Juárez, and allowing the drug to be better regulated. He also said he would not pursue the issue in Congress because voters did not consider it a priority.  Reyes, to prove his status in Washington, brought a string of high-level officials to El Paso, including former President Bill Clinton, who personally reaffirmed an endorsement delivered earlier in a video. Reyes also received an endorsement from President Barack Obama. O'Rourke will face Republican Barbara Carrasco in the Nov. 6 general election. Read more

Another one bites the dust: Beto O'Rourke ousts eight-term U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes