CQ Risk Rating: Safe Democrat 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Solomon P. Ortiz (D) | 102,088 | 63% |
| Pat Ahumada (R) | 54,660 | 34% |
| William Bunch (LIBERT) | 4,324 | 3% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: MARCH 14, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Solomon P. Ortiz | 36,569 | 100% |
| | Republican |
| Pat Ahumada | 13,652 | 100% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Military Bases | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
TEXAS 27
:
Gulf Coast - Corpus Christi; Brownsville
Anchored by the tourist hub of Corpus Christi in the north, the mostly
urban 27th runs south to the Rio Grande River, with the Gulf of Mexico on
its eastern coast. Ranches are the mainstay between the two largest cities,
Corpus Christi and Brownsville, which together contain more than half the
27th's population.
A port city, Corpus Christi has a solid economy fueled by its reliable
tourism industry and a military presence that grew in the 1990s. Oil and gas
used to be among the biggest industries in the city in the 1980s, but now
petrochemical refining, which is also found up and down the coast, is more
common. Farther south, the port city of Brownsville ails from an influx of
illegal immigrants and high poverty, but new manufacturing plants and
maquiladoras (assembly or manufacturing plants that use low-cost labor and
import many parts from the United States) have brightened up the area.
Visitors coming from Mexico boost Brownsville's retail industry.
The 27th was created by redistricting in 1982 and has been held by a
Democrat ever since. While most local areas are comfortably Democratic, some
affluent areas in Harlingen and Corpus Christi lean Republican.
Major Industry
Manufacturing, trade, tourism
Military Bases
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, 1,600 military, 5,000 civilian (1998);
Corpus Christi Army Depot, 12 military, 2,772 civilian; Naval Air Station
Kingsville, 842 military, 415 civilian (1998)
Population
565,992 (1990)
Cities
Corpus Christi (pt.), 257,453 (1990); Brownsville, 132,091; Harlingen,
56,893 (1996)
People
80% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks 14 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally);
61% married couples, 34% married couples with children; 15% college educated
(ranks 17 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally); 54% white collar (ranks
16 of 30 in state; middle third nationally), 26% blue collar (ranks 16 of 30
in state; middle third nationally) (1990)
Race
79% white, 2% black, 1% Asian; 66% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$21,552 (ranks 25 of 30 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Actress Farrah Fawcett born in 1947 in Corpus Christi; With more than 370
bird species in and around Brownsville, the city has developed a reputation
as a bird watcher's paradise.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 27
