Democrat Vicente Gonzalez beats Mayra Flores in hotly-contested Texas House race

According to the Associated Press, Rep. Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born congresswoman, was reelected by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. This follows a brief tenure in the House following a high-profile special-election victory in June.

“The RED WAVE didn’t happen. Independents and Republicans remained home. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS IF YOU DID NOT DO YOUR PART!” Flores, R-Texas, tweeted Tuesday night.

Despite Flores’ victory earlier this year in the election, Flores was still fighting to keep her seat. Her district was redrawn to include larger swathes of Democrat-voting San Antonio.

Flores ran in Flores’ special-election race under old district lines. Biden won by +4 percentage point in 2020. However, under new district lines the +16 Biden district is much more friendly to Democrats than it was before.

Gonzalez is a former congressman who served Texas’ 15th congressional District for three terms. However, Gonzalez decided to run for office in the newly drawn 34th congressional District, where his home, as well as much of his urban San Antonio base, are now.

Gonzalez considers himself a moderate Democrat. He sometimes disagrees with his party on issues such as border security and domestic energy policy.

The Gonzalez campaign was criticized for using Flores’ doctored photograph to make Flores appear more dangerous while she held a firearm.

Flores campaigned strongly on her Christian faith and border security issues. She also leaned into her story as the wife and immigrant from Mexico, and a U.S. Border Control agent.

Flores’ June special election win sent shockwaves through the political world when she turned her district red for first time in 150-years. This sparked national discussion about the growing support of the Republican Party by Hispanic voters.