Spotlight on the TX 23rd Congressional District

Submitted by IP on Wed, 2010-04-14 12:18
Republican Winner, Francisco “Quico” Canseco
Texas's 23rd Congressional District stretches across the southwestern portion of Texas along the USA-Mexican border and is the 8th largest congressional district in the country not counting at-large districts. It reaches across the vast rural expanses between El Paso and on the east by San Antonio. TX 23 is seeped in both Hispanic and American cultures. Popular Republican Henry Bonilla held this seat from 1993-2007. Second term representative, Democrat Ciro Rodriguez, has the most liberal voting record of any Hispanic in the U.S. House, sticking with Pelosi 98% of the time. Rodriguez' support of big government solutions has stifled economic growth and job creation in the district. Quico Canseco, Republican, owns a business and knows firsthand how out of control government spending and regulation hurt small businesses and slow economic growth. He made the case for lower taxes, smaller government, and traditional family values - issues that are very important to the voters of this district. The verdict of the voters was Canseco 49%, Rodriguez 44%.
Francisco “Quico” Canseco
  • Native of Laredo
  • Successful business owner and real estate developer
  • Established in 1997, with his family, the Canseco Foundation to provide grant money to support educational, healthcare, and community needs in and around Laredo
  • Board member, Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA)
  • Delegate to the State Republican Convention in 2004, 2006, and 2008
  • Credentials Committee Chairman 2006
  • At-large Delegate to the Republican National Convention 2008
  • Board Member of the Texas Federation of Republican Women
  • Member of the Frontier Leadership Council and Candidate Resource Committee for the Republican Party of Texas
  • Appointed to attend the National Hispanic Leadership Conference by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Congressman Lamar Smith

ISSUES

  • Growth of Government: I will stand firm and make tough decisions about spending with the main goals being: balancing our federal budget; paying off debts owed to foreign nations; and building up capital to meet our commitments to Social Security and Medicare.
  • Job Creation: Slash tax rates for those in the 10% and 15% brackets; target small businesses for additional tax cuts; extend unemployment benefits through 2009 and prevent these benefits from being taxed; stop bailing out failing businesses with taxpayer dollars
  • Health Care: Allow small business to band together and negotiate for coverage across state lines; for the self-employed and those purchasing health coverage on their own, we should allow a pre-tax deduction for their insurance premiums; expand the availability and deductions for health savings accounts, flexible spending plans, and tax benefits to offset the cost of long-term care premiums; reform insurance regulations to prevent companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions or past illness; enact medical malpractice reform
  • Energy: Stop limiting access to America’s own domestic oil, natural gas, oil shale, coal deposits, and other sources; increase domestic refining capacity; increase transmission capacity to allow for greater domestic energy transport; make the research and development of new and improved energy technologies an intense national priority; encourage and provide incentives to expand the use of nuclear power, wind, solar, geothermal, oil shale, hydrogen fuel cells, compressed natural gas for vehicles, and next generation batteries; continue to fund research in deep water drilling and clean coal technologies; fight against any new Liberal tax scheme that seeks to reduce traditional energy production and increase energy costs for families and small businesses
  • War of Terror/Veterans: I will demand full funding and support for our troops so that we can continue to stay on offense to kill, capture, or eliminate terrorists wherever they may be hiding. For those who have served in the protection of our families, freedom, and country we should spare no expense.
  • Borders and Immigration: Our commitment to homeland security starts with: controlling who comes into our country, protecting our borders, ports, airways, and having top notch intelligence and law enforcement capable of stopping those who want to do us harm BEFORE they can attack on American soil again. For those who wish to come to our country to seek a better life and make America their home, they must do so by obeying our laws and complying with our rules.
  • Sanctity of Life/Marriage: I am pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and I will vote that way in Congress.
  • 2nd Amendment: I will always vote in Congress to protect our 2nd Amendment rights.
“As a Constitutional conservative, I will work to turn the direction of Congress onto a path that follows our Founding Father’s vision of a limited federal government. I believe the massive growth of the federal government comes at the expense of our personal liberty, responsibilities to ourselves and families, and the ability of entrepreneurial Americans to create job opportunities through a free and open marketplace.”
Quico Canseco for Congress Texas 23
The Spotlight On reports are overviews of actual Republican primary winners or top Republican primary contenders. Spotlights should not be interpreted as recommendations to support specific candidates. Before supporting any candidate, do thorough research to confirm that the candidate shares your views on issues you deem most important.