The Texas GOP is seeking to flip a Democratic House seat in November. To do so, they are turning to former representative Mayra Flores, a Mexican-born politician who has been named by the party a "Young Guns."
Flores is one of 26 candidates being boosted through the National Republican Congressional Committee' Young Guns program, which provides mentorship, training and extra resources to Republican challengers.
The Los Indios Republican will go head-to-head with Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. The race is being considered high stakes among Republicans.
"Extreme House Democrats' border, crime and cost of living crises wrecked Americans' safety and security," NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-North Carolina, said in a statement Monday morning. "Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November."
Flores was also on the Young Guns list in 2022, when she ran for her first full term in Congress after replacing outgoing Democrat Filemon Vela in a special election. She lost to Gonzalez by 8 points.
In response to the endorsements, Gonzalez released a statement where he seemed pleased with the GOP decision and sure about his position in the upcoming race.
"We welcome the NRCC to invest in another race in the RGV they are guaranteed to lose," Gonzalez said in a statement. "These are the types of amateur investment decisions that will guarantee us a new Democratic Majority in the House."
Flores and Gonzalez will face each other to win the seat for Texas' 34th congressional district, which includes Brownsville, Harlingen and parts of McAllen, all of which are large migrant hubs.
In recent years, the District has become more solidly Democratic in comparison to its neighboring 15th District, currently represented by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. Gonzalez previously represented the 15th District before it was redrawn into his new, bluer seat in 2021, according to the Texas Tribune.
Nevertheless, Flores has raised significant funds and the recent announcement shows Republicans are increasing efforts at turning the district red.
Flores has also received attention lately as she is one of the Republican women who is trying to stay away from abortion as the issue has become a divisive and controversial point following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Instead, she is focusing on a more conservative-friendly agenda, highlighting her views on securing the border, creating jobs to achieve the "American Dream" and reforming education by banning the teachings of different methodologies and ideologies like critical race theory and gender studies.
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