VOTERS DON'T PICK CANDIDATES, CANDIDATES PICK VOTERS

Laredo wonders if Cuellar, Bonilla or both will ultimately represent it


By JOHN W. GONZALEZ and R.G. RATCLIFFE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

LAREDO - The small businesses and low-income neighborhoods along bustling Saunders Street look about the same on either side of the road, but an invisible line up the center stripe puts them in two distinct political realms.

Cakeland Bakery, with its tiers of white wedding cakes gracing its windows, is on the south side of the street in the district of freshman U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, the city's first locally based congressman in 22 years.

North across the street is the Narvaez Beef Store, marked by the life-size black bull that towers over it on a pole. Narvaez is in the territory of U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, an influential, 13-year House member with a district stretching to El Paso.

Webb County had all been in Bonilla's 23rd District until 2003 when Republicans in the Legislature redrew the district to divide Laredo in half to diminish its influence in elections. The result was Bonilla won re-election in 2004, and Cuellar won in a new district dominated by half of Laredo.

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