McALLEN, Texas — Whew.
That’s the sigh of aid Texas Democrats are expressing after they saved at bay a number of the multimillion-dollar Republican push to scoop up as soon as reliably Democratic-voting Latinos in South Texas and sweep three congressional races.
The congressional races had been seen as assessments of what has change into standard knowledge and a GOP mantra: that Latino voters are shifting to the Republican Social gathering after President Donald Trump made inroads within the area in 2020.
However on the finish of election night time, simply one in every of three Latina candidates whom the celebration banked on closely had received — Monica De La Cruz defeated Michelle Vallejo within the fifteenth Congressional District, which the GOP-controlled Legislature redrew to assist a Republican win.
And inside the district that De La Cruz received, her Democratic opponent received by a big margin in Hidalgo County, the Rio Grande Valley border county that features McAllen. Vallejo received 55.3% of the vote to De La Cruz’s 42.7%, in response to unofficial outcomes from the Texas secretary of state.
Average Democrats prevailed within the two different extremely contested congressional districts, exhibiting there’s nonetheless lots of ideological grappling and spending to come back within the political wrestling match over the area’s Latino voters.
Gilbert Hinojosa, the Texas Democratic Social gathering chairman, mentioned Wednesday that Republicans’ “pink wave didn’t materialize.” But in her victory speech in McAllen on Tuesday, De La Cruz echoed the longtime GOP message to Latinos: “No matter the way you voted, este es su partido (that is your celebration). … We’re the celebration that desires Hispanics to prosper, not depend upon the federal government.”
Within the thirty fourth District, Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez ended Republican Rep. Mayra Flores’ quick stint in Congress. She had received a particular election within the district in June to change into the primary Mexican-born congresswoman.
Gonzalez received Cameron County, the massive border county anchoring the district.
Flores blamed the apathy of her personal celebration members and independents.
“The RED WAVE didn’t occur. Republicans and Independents stayed dwelling,” Flores tweeted early Wednesday.
In District 28, conservative Democrat Henry Cuellar secured a tenth time period in Congress, successful his vitriolic, tougher-than-expected race in opposition to Republican Cassy Garcia, a former aide to Sen. Ted Cruz.
The contentious race even had barbs about “narcos” — first from Garcia after which Tuesday night time from Cuellar, in a tweet he deleted.
Cuellar trounced Garcia in Webb County, the border county within the district, successful 76% of the vote, whereas Garcia ended the night time with 29.4%, unofficial outcomes present.
Voters speak of creating ‘historical past,’ defend abortion rights
On Election Day, Tony Torres, 53, was outdoors the Lark Group Middle polling website in McAllen, urging votes for De La Cruz.
“We’re going to flip it pink. We’re going to make historical past,” Torres mentioned Tuesday morning.
“We see it as an ideological battle. They’re attempting to alter lots of issues, the Hispanic tradition,” Torres mentioned of Democrats. “We imagine the [far left] is attempting to destroy that. They encourage girls to be single moms. They encourage abortion. They encourage transgender points, LGBTQ,” with youngsters in colleges — “that’s flawed.”
In Edinburg, Aleyda Gonzalez, 45, mentioned she voted to guard abortion rights — which meant Democratic.
“I’m in opposition to the legislation banning abortion, as a result of I feel it’s a choice of each lady,” she mentioned in Spanish. “We must always not have a legislation controlling that. We must always not make it unlawful.”
Because the congressional races gave the impression to be tightening within the ultimate weeks, Democrats ratcheted up their marketing campaign spending and exercise.
Gonzalez was assured about his strong marketing campaign operation, at the same time as election prognosticators had been seeing his victory as much less of a certain factor. In his marketing campaign, Gonzalez emphasised billions of federal {dollars} he’d dropped at the area in his three phrases in workplace.
“The folks of South Texas have spoken. They’ve chosen somebody with a observe report of bringing important sources to South Texas,” Gonzalez mentioned in an election night time assertion.
Republicans received the governor’s race and each state govt workplace, persevering with their maintain on state energy since 1994. Hispanics are estimated to have change into Texas’ largest group, making up 40.2% of the inhabitants final yr, in contrast with 39.4% who’re non-Hispanic white.
In a press release, Macarena Martinez, the Republican Nationwide Committee spokeswoman in Texas, centered on the state wins, saying voters “wish to maintain Texas pink, maintain Texas affluent and reject the failed progressive insurance policies of Joe Biden and the Democrat Social gathering.”
Republicans and allied teams spent hundreds of thousands on the congressional races and different contests.
“For a month there within the Valley, it felt prefer it was Vegas or Phoenix and being in a battleground space,” mentioned James Aldrete, a Democratic guide.
Aldrete had labored on a race in a state Senate district that overlaps with Gonzalez’s district. His consumer, Democrat Morgan La Mantilla, received.
As voter Benjamin Garza noticed it, the Rio Grande Valley is a Democratic oasis in Republican Texas.
He drove over a day from Delaware, the place he was working in his enterprise of promoting and coaching horses, to Edinburg, Texas, to have the ability to vote Tuesday, he mentioned.
“Texas is pink. I’m attempting to make it blue,” he mentioned.
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