AUSTIN, Texas — It's Texas' perennial swing district and this November, the race for the state's 23rd Congressional seat is open and more competitive than ever.

Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones and Republican Tony Gonzales are duking it out for the chance to succeed outgoing Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes.

Gonzales is a Navy veteran, while Ortiz Jones is a former intelligence officer and captain in the Air Force.

The district includes 820 miles of border land between the cities of El Paso and San Antonio and is 70 percent Hispanic.

Ortiz Jones ran against Hurd in 2018 and lost to him by less than one percent. She spoke with Capital Tonight’s Karina Kling about her high-profile race and the issues she’d like to tackle if elected.

Ortiz Jones’ interview is part of a series of candidate conversations Capital Tonight is doing leading up to the November election.