“The Trump age has given rise to a new brand of Texas Republicans, one of whom is already walking the halls of Congress: the far-right Latina,” said a recent New York Times article written by reporter Jennifer Medina.
On June 21, 2022, Mayra Flores became the first Mexican-born woman elected and sworn into Congress. Flores ran in a special South Texas election to fill a vacated seat by former Democratic U.S. House Representative Filemon Vela in the 34th Congressional District. An immigrant from Tamaulipas, Mexico, Flores campaigned on the slogan, “God, family, country.” Flores dedicated her time as a candidate to addressing issues she felt were important to the Latino community such as abortion, religious liberty, immigration, and abortion.
In 2020, President Biden carried “TX-34 by four points…; Filemon Vela, the incumbent Democratic congressman, won it by 13.6…this time, voters in the South Texas district opted for the Republican candidate by more than seven and a half points,” reported the National Review. According to the Texas Tribune, “Flores ended up doing much better on election day — getting 55% to Sanchez’s 40% — on her way to defeating him by an overall margin of 51-43. She even carried Cameron County, long elusive for Republicans running at the federal level.” Representative Mayra Flores made history by flipping a congressional seat that had been a Democratic stronghold for over 100 years.
Mayra Flores’ historic win in a district that has been dominated by Democratic for decades sent a profound message to the party. While the Latino community has historically been used by the Democratic party for votes, families within the community are waking up to the reality that they are truly conservative at heart. There is a very clear shift of Latino voters consistently moving from the left to the right. Democrats are losing their grip on the Latino voter.
According to Flores’ website, “We are hungry for opportunity and have seen the Rio Grande Valley lean more and more conservative. America First policies resonate with the Hispanic community and others who live in this district.”
Flores’ firm stance on what is most important to her: God, family, and country have earned her the title of, “far-right Latina.” According to Medina, “Representative Mayra Flores is one of three Republican Latinas vying to transform South Texas politics by shunning moderates and often embracing the extreme.” The publication also focused on the rise of other “far-right Latinas” in the world of government, Monica De La Cruz and Cassy Garcia who are also running for congressional seats in the state of Texas. All three women are leading the pack in Republican Latina women seeking to make a difference in their communities where a large percentage of Latino families reside.
Despite the consistent attacks against Latina leaders, the title “far-right Latina” seems to have emboldened Flores to continue reaching out to the Latino community, especially as midterm elections approach in November. “They don’t support us immigrants, they only use us for political power and don’t care about our well-being. I am here now and I won’t allow them to continue taking advantage of my people. The NYT knows nothing about me or our culture. Somos gente de Dios, Familia y Travajo [We are people of God, Family and Work], Si Señor!,” said Flores to Fox News Digital. Representative Flores has vowed to continue fighting for her people.