WTAS: Mayra Flores’ Historic Win
Tuesday’s special election in TX-34 proved Hispanic voters are moving decisively toward Republicans, and South Texans are fed up with Democrat leadership that created a border crisis and record-high inflation.
Here’s what they’re saying about Mayra Flores’ historic win:
The Texas Tribune: How Mayra Flores flipped a Rio Grande Valley congressional seat and gave Republicans hope for a new era in South Texas
“Her outright victory in the special election is just the latest chapter in a topsy-turvy election cycle in South Texas, which Republicans have been working overtime to turn into a new battleground ever since Biden’s underperformance throughout the region in 2020.”
Politico: Latino Democrats vent their fury after foreboding special election loss in Texas
“Republicans blew up more than a century of almost uninterrupted Democratic control in that region Tuesday night, earning a special election win in a heavily Latino border district they had rarely even contested since its creation in 2012 — but where the GOP has made rapid gains in the last few years.”
The Hill: Mayra Flores win drives GOP optimism about Hispanic voters
“Her win marks a major shift for the district, which was solidly blue for years and is 84 percent Hispanic. President Biden won the district by 4.2 points in 2020, and Hillary Clinton won it by 21.5 percent in 2016. Rep. Filemon Vela (D), who resigned from his seat in March to join a lobbying firm, has represented the district since it was created in 2010.”
The Wall Street Journal: The Republican Who Flipped South Texas
“After winning Tuesday’s special election in Texas, Mayra Flores will soon become America’s first Mexican-born Congresswoman—and by the way, she’s a Republican who’s married to a Border Patrol agent. What a great American story, plus another piece of evidence that Democrats won’t win the future on demographics alone.”
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: GOP flip in TX-34 sparks South Texas rating changes
“Vela, the previous congressman, won 55%-42% in 2020, but that was down markedly from the roughly 60% or better he won in the previous several elections. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both also got about 60% in the district in 2016 and 2012, respectively. So this is an indication that the big shift toward Republicans that we saw in South Texas in 2020 is enduring and even sharpening down-ballot.”
San Antonio Express News: Republican Mayra Flores flips South Texas district to become first Mexican-born congresswoman
“Republicans saw Tuesday’s race as a key opportunity to build momentum in South Texas, especially as inflation and everyday costs soar under the Biden administration.”
Politico: Meet Mayra Flores, the newly elected Latina Republican from South Texas
“Flores sailed to victory in Texas’ 34th District, where former Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela resigned from his seat in March to work for a lobbying firm. In one of the most Latino districts in the country, and one where Democrats have routinely won by comfortable margins for years, Flores garnered 51 percent of the vote, winning the special election without a runoff.”
The Wall Street Journal: Former Obama Voter Is a Republican Winner Along the Rio Grande
“But this moment is still historic and is still more evidence of the ongoing movement of Hispanic voters in south Texas and elsewhere toward the GOP.”
“Republicans zeroed in on the race as part of an effort to project growing strength with moderate and conservative Hispanic voters in South Texas. The National Republican Congressional Committee on Wednesday called Flores’ win a “blue print for success in South Texas,” according to a memo obtained by CNN.”