(The Center Square) – Former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, a Republican who briefly represented south Texas in the Rio Grande Valley in Congress, has launched her re-election campaign.
She already has a Republican primary challenger.
Flores first ran for Congress in a special election last June and won. Because of redistricting, she ran again for reelection in November to keep her seat, but in a new district, and lost to a Democratic incumbent.
She is the first Mexican-born American ever elected to Congress. She is also the first Republican elected to Congress from her district in Texas history. She served for roughly six months.
On Tuesday, she announced on Twitter that she was running for reelection.
“I am excited to announce that I am officially running for Congress in #TX34,” she said. “We made history last year, but there’s still work to be done here in South Texas. I’m running to help restore the American Dream, secure our borders, and stand strong on our values of God, Family and Country.”
I am excited to announce that I am officially running for Congress in #TX34We made history last year, but there’s still work to be done here in South Texas. I’m running to help restore the American Dream, secure our borders, and stand strong on our values of God, Family and… pic.twitter.com/OgMKepIB8b— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) July 11, 2023
Flores has already received endorsements from key Republicans in the House: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and House GOP conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Flores was “barreling towards a repeat defeat.” In a statement, DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said Flores was “more focused on espousing fringe conspiracy theories than actually helping middle class families, which is why South Texas voters decisively rejected her extreme agenda last year.”
When he was reelected last fall, Democratic Rep. Vincente Gonzalez said the people of South Texas “have spoken” and chose “someone with a track record of bringing vital resources” to the district.
Flores isn’t the only Republican running to replace Gonzalez. Businessman Mauro Garza is hoping to defeat Flores in the Republican primary and then go on to defeat Gonzalez.
Garza launched his campaign in February. In his campaign announcement, he said the current situation in south Texas “isn’t the south Texas I grew up in. Fentanyl is coming across our border and poisoning our community. The values we treasure as Texans are being stomped on by careless elite.” He hopes to turn it around, he said.
Garza ran against Monica De La Cruz in the Republican primary for the 15th District in March 2022 and lost. De La Cruz then went on to defeat her Democratic opponent, helping to flip part of the valley red.
He also ran for Congress in 2020 in a different district, then District 20 in the San Antonio area. He won a Republican primary runoff race but then lost to Democrat Juan Castro in the general election.
According to a poll last year, Flores had a higher net favorability rating among Hispanic voters in the U.S. than U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, did.
A Texas Latinos Conservatives poll last year also found that for the first time, the majority of registered Hispanic Texas voters said the Republican Party better aligned with their values. The poll found that border security was a top issue for Hispanic Texas voters, and the majority polled, 61%, said they were bothered by the direction of the Democratic Party.
