TEXAS – The 34th congressional district out of Texas, which has been a Democratic stronghold since forming after the 2010 Census while toting an 84% Hispanic population, seems to be getting a bit more red – as Republican Mayra Flores defeated Democrat Dan Sanchez during a special election held on June 14th to finish the remainder of the House term.
Texas’ 34th congressional district has been represented by Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela for the past 10 years. However, Rep. Vela had reportedly resigned from his seat in the House this past March after accepting a role at a D.C.-based law and lobbying firm.
The achieved victory by Republican Rep. Flores foreshadows a change of heart for Hispanic voters out of a region in Texas that has traditionally voted Democrat, as evidenced by Democratic Rep. Vela having been in office since 2012 as well as the congressional district having voted overwhelmingly in favor of Obama, Clinton, and Biden during the last three presidential elections.
The New York Times called the election in Rep. Flores’ favor, showing she’d secured 51% of the votes out of the district while Rep. Sanchez had only managed to secure 43.3% of the votes.
Rep. Flores, whose family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was six years old, issued a statement in light of her victory, saying she’s proud to represent her district in Washington as well as representing the conservative values that have been growing in popularity in South Texas.
“First and foremost I thank God for the blessing of the opportunity to serve the people of Texas’ 34th Congressional District. 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.
“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.”
Republicans were hoping to secure an early win with the aforementioned congressional district, which Rep. Flores will be representing until January of 2023, as the district as is will essentially be dissolved following a redrawing that currently favors Democratic 15th Congressional District, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez.
This November, Democratic Rep. Gonzalez will be facing off against Republican Rep. Flores for the newly redrawn 34th congressional district.
During an appearance on “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said that Rep. Flores’ win out of Texas “should make Democrats very worried,” as it serves as “a precursor of things that we think are to come in Hispanic communities across the country.”
McDaniel added that Hispanics gravitating more toward Republicans shouldn’t come as a shock, as “Republicans stand for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, hard work, good education. And these are things, especially in this economy right now with inflation and high gas, that are really resonating with Hispanic voters across the country.”
This piece was written by Gregory Hoyt on June 15, 2022. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.
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