In the first special election, Bonilla won 48 percent of the vote to Rodriguez's 20 percent. Since no one gained a majority, there was a runoff between the two former colleagues. Rodriguez won the runoff with 54% of the vote to Bonilla's 46%. Bonilla was the first Republican incumbent in Texas to be unseated by a Democrat in 10 years, since Nick Lampson's defeat of Steve Stockman in a 1996 runoff election. Lampson was also returned to Congress in 2006 after being defeated for reelection in 2004, like Rodriguez in another district. Bonilla said in interviews the night of his defeat that his loss was in part a result of the changed districting. He ran controversial commercials that claimed that Rodriguez took funds from terrorists, which media outlets called "bold claims". He later apologized to the press for any of those who took offense, but stood by his statement.