AUSTIN, Texas -- It's the state's most competitive congressional seat. Texas' 23rd District stretches across the southwestern part of the state and has flipped back and forth in recent years.

It's currently occupied by incumbent Republican Will Hurd. But in 2016, Hillary Clinton narrowly won it and as trends favor both Democrats and women this November, Hurd's challenger is hoping to capitalize.

“I have a long record of public service in and out of uniform,” candidate Gina Ortiz Jones said. “And as I look at some of the challenges that we face as a district, as a state, as a country, I think what’s really lacking is this public servant’s mindset.”

Jones is a retired Air Force intelligence officer. She’s shown she can compete in the fundraising game, raising $1.2 million in the past three months.

“I think what that number reflects is really the enthusiasm on the ground,” Ortiz Jones said.

Click the video link above to watch the full candidate conversation with Ortiz Jones.