Editing Ciro Rodriguez (section)

===2006===
{{See also|2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Texas}}

====28th district====
Rodriguez tried to regain his seat in 2006. His campaign was under-financed, but gained significant momentum after a  photographer with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' snapped a photo of Cuellar at the [[2006 State of the Union address]], on the Republican side of the aisle, smiling as President [[George W. Bush]] affectionately grabbed his face. Rodriguez lost the March 7 Democratic primary with 40% of the vote to Cuellar's 53%.

====23rd district====
In June, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that the Texas Legislature had violated the [[Voting Rights Act]] when it drew most of Laredo out of the 23rd and replaced it with several heavily Republican San Antonio suburbs. A three-judge panel then drew new district lines. The new 23rd included Rodriguez's home, along with much of his old south San Antonio base.  That area had been part of the 23rd from its creation in 1967 to 1993.

On August 10 Rodriguez announced that he would run against Bonilla in the 23rd.<ref>[http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/08/rodriguez_to_mount_comeback_bi.html#more "Rodriquez to Mount Comeback"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813091253/http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/08/rodriguez_to_mount_comeback_bi.html |date=2006-08-13 }}, ''Congressional Quarterly''</ref> The two opponents, original Democratic nominee Rick Bolanos, four other Democrats and one independent, faced one another in an all-candidate (or "jungle") primary on November 7. Incumbent Bonilla emerged with 48.1% of the vote, and Ciro Rodriguez with 20.3%.

In the [[runoff election]], Rodriguez defeated Bonilla 54% to 46% in an upset victory. This made Rodriguez's district the 30th Democratic pickup in the [[United States House elections, 2006|2006 House elections]], and the second from Texas,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/elections/16224956.htm |title=The Kansas City Star |access-date=December 13, 2006 |archive-date=March 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308013054/http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/elections/16224956.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> after [[Nick Lampson]]. He also regained a seat after being defeated in another district in 2004, like Lampson. It was only the second time a Republican congressional incumbent had lost to a Democratic challenger in Texas since 1988 (the first time being [[Nick Lampson]]'s defeat of a Republican incumbent in 1996). Lampson served with Rodriguez again in 2007–2009, until he was defeated for the second time in 2008.