WASHINGTON — In 2024, President Donald Trump won the White House buoyed by historic support among Hispanic voters, diversifying the GOP’s coalition and flipping Democratic strongholds like South Texas.
Two years later, a crop of Hispanic Republican candidates in Texas will aim to solidify Trump’s gains in defiance of the midterm headwinds facing the GOP this fall. The balance of the U.S. House could turn on whether they succeed: As many as four of the five Democratic seats targeted by GOP redistricting could feature Hispanic GOP nominees, while two of Democrats’ top targets will be defended by Hispanic Republican candidates. In all six of those districts, a majority of the eligible voting population is Hispanic.
GOP wins in those races would dramatically grow the ranks of Hispanic Republicans in Congress, building momentum for the party’s efforts to win over the historically Democratic bloc. Losses could signal a fracturing of the GOP’s newfound multiracial coalition soon after it was assembled.
