Special Election: Republicans Flip Democratic Stronghold Congressional District as Hispanic Voters Move to the Right
Republican Mayra Flores flipped a Democratic congressional seat in a special election Tuesday in Texas.
Flores defeated Democrat Dan Sanchez and two other candidates to win the 34th Congressional District, a longtime Democratic bastion that is about 85 percent Hispanic.
In addition to flipping the seat, Flores made Texas election history by becoming the first member of the House born in Mexico, according to Fox News. Her family moved to the U.S. when she was 6 years old.
The far left are destroying the American dream. When I was little my family legally immigrated to America. They taught me conservative values: faith, family, & hard work. I will not let the far left & socialist policies by the Biden Administration destroy this great country #TX34 pic.twitter.com/43L4WzyNzr
— Mayra Flores For Congress ??? (@MayraFlores2022) May 17, 2022
With all voting precincts reporting, Flores had 50.98 percent of the vote against 43.33 percent for Sanchez, according to The Texas Tribune.
Democrats have dominated the South Texas district since its inception. President Joe Biden won there in November 2020.
The special election will put Flores in the House until January. She will have a fight on her hands to keep the seat in a newly drawn district in which she will compete against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who currently represents the 15th District.
This historic win will bring back God to the halls of Congress! This win is for the people who were ignored for so long! This is a message that the establishment will no longer be tolerated! We have officially started the red wave!! #TX34
God, Family, Country pic.twitter.com/pNn8UYoPor
— Mayra Flores For Congress ??? (@MayraFlores2022) June 15, 2022
“First and foremost I thank God for the blessing of the opportunity to serve the people of Texas’ 34th Congressional District,” Flores said after her win was official.
“I am also grateful to my family for their unwavering love and support throughout this campaign, and to the voters of South Texas for entrusting me to represent them in Washington,” she said.
“I look forward to standing strong for our conservative values of faith, family, and freedom and to earning the opportunity to serve our community further in the months to come.”
Sanchez groused that while Flores had strong support from Republicans outside of Texas, he did not.
“Too many factors were against us, including little to no support from the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” he said.
The Texas Tribune chalked up the lack of support to the fact that the race is to fill a seat for only a few months and confidence that Democrats will win the redrawn district in November.
Flores, a 2019 graduate from South Texas College, had the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott and had won a four-way GOP primary.
When @LandonStarbuck and I did the March to the Border, @MayraFlores2022 was one of the only candidates to come to the march with all the people who came (mostly Latinos like us) demanding that the Biden admin get control of the border and finish building the wall! A huge win! https://t.co/MkQ1HByg6m
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) June 15, 2022
She said her campaign “took no one for granted,” according to the Texas Tribune.
“For over 100 years, we have been taken for granted,” Flores said during her victory celebration.
“I will show you what real representation looks like. I will represent all people.”
She stressed that she will represent the people of her district, not far-off partisan leaders.
“We’ve been voting California values, Austin values, but not South Texas values,” she said earlier this year, according to The New York Times. “This is our country.”
The special election was held to fill the seat of Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela, who resigned in March.
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