It’s one thing to learn that Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Manuel Medina lost in last week’s primaries by a whopping 35-point margin.
It’s another thing to see how the results of that lopsided election look on a map. Each teal-colored area represents a victory for Medina’s challenger, Monica Ramirez Alcantara:
Bexar County primary for Democratic Party chair
Every registered voter in Texas lives in a voting precinct — a distinct neighborhood or geographic area. Election results for each precinct are available to the public, which means you can plug those numbers into a spreadsheet, add some formulas, and create nifty interactive maps that show which candidate won each precinct.
Related: Interactive map shows how Bexar County voted in the 2016 presidential election
I made these maps in Google Fusion Tables. Zoom in on your neighborhood, click on your precinct, and see who the voters in your area supported.
After last week’s election, we focused on maps of Medina’s race and a few others. Winners of each election carried the teal-colored precincts:
Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood: Lost to Joe Gonzales in the Democratic primary
Texas House District 118: Incumbent Tomas Uresti lost to Leo Pacheco
Bexar County Commissioner Paul Elizondo: Forced into a runoff
Medina told me on Election Day that much of the Democratic turnout was driven by new voters, many of whom were unhappy with the presidency of Donald Trump.
But as my story with political writer Jasper Scherer noted, some of Medina’s critics complained that Medina himself was guilty of sounding like Trump in his own campaign rhetoric. Alcantara said she heard that complaint from Democrats.
“Our constituents wanted change,” she said. “I believe they could see through all of the rhetoric that was going on. I think they used this opportunity to have their voices heard.”
