In the primary election, Rodriguez finished ahead of Gutierrez by six points at 44 percent.
However, Gutierrez received significantly more contributions throughout the course of the race — $412,000 compared to $164,000.
“After a long, hard-fought two-and-a-half years of running for this senate seat, we’re one step closer. We’ve got to finish this work off in November to make sure that we keep up all of the good work we put in,” said Gutierrez in a video thanking his supporters.
Likewise, Rodriguez released a statement thanking her supporters for helping on her campaign.
“While it is disappointing, I am not discouraged because so many people across the district believed in our campaign’s message of a better future for our community and our children — and you were willing to join me in fighting for it,” said Rodriguez.
Gutierrez will go on to face state Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) in the November general election.
SD 19 is the only senate district this year poised to be a battleground between Republicans and Democrats.
Flores won the district in a special election after his Democratic predecessor, Carlos Uresti, resigned amidst a conviction of 11 felonies.
Before the special election, Flores tried challenging Uresti in a general election and lost by 15.4 points.
In 2018, Governor Abbott lost the district by 1.9 points, while Sen. Ted Cruz lost it by 14.5 points.
If Gutierrez is able to win the district for Democrats, it would cost Republicans their supermajority in the senate.
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Daniel Friend
Daniel Friend is the Marketing and Media Manager for The Texan. After graduating with a double-major in Political Science and Humanities, he wrote for The Texan as a reporter through June 2022. In his spare time, you're likely to find him working on The Testimony of Calvin Lewis, an Abolition of Man-inspired novel and theatrical podcast.
