Six candidates are running in the Democratic Party primary election for Texas’ 15th Congressional District on March 1, 2022. Media attention has focused on Eliza Alvarado, Ruben Ramirez, John Villarreal Rigney, and Michelle Vallejo. These candidates have also led in fundraising. Incumbent Vicente Gonzalez (D) is running to replace retiring District 34 incumbent Filemon Vela (D) after the Texas State Legislature redrew the 15th District to include more of western Hidalgo County during the 2020 redistricting cycle.
To win the primary, a candidate must receive more than 50% of votes cast. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on May 24.
Alvarado is a director at South Texas educational service center Region One, and she previously worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and served as a congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D). She emphasized her experience in government, education, and healthcare and said partisanship was unimportant in representing the district. “I’m not there to represent Brooklyn or California, I’m there to represent District 15. And as such, I need to understand what District 15 needs regardless of whether they’re Republican or Democrat,” Alvarado said.
