Republican Navy vet Tony Gonzales leading Air Force vet Gina Ortiz Jones for open seat in Texas congressional district

Republican Tony Gonzales, a Navy veteran, was leading Air Force veteran Gina Ortiz Jones early Wednesday in the race for the massive border district that Jones nearly won in 2018.

The Democrat was running again after her narrow loss to Rep. Will Hurd, a San Antonio Republican who decided not to seek reelection.

The 23rd has long been Texas’ only true swing district.

Jones campaigned on Gonzales’ opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and the Republican countered with the argument that he supports protections for Americans with preexisting conditions. Gonzales labeled the Democrat as an outsider who lives in Washington, but Jones says she’s been living in San Antonio.