Vicente Gonzalez defeats Mayra Flores to hold onto South Texas congressional district

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, declares victory over his Republican challenger, Mayra Flores, at a Brownsville watch party on Tuesday. (Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune)

---

BROWNSVILLE —U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat, defeated his Republican challenger former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores. The Associated Press called the race for Gonzalez on Wednesday.

He told supporters the margin of victory was slimmer than they were expecting but credited Flores’ performance to having former President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.

"A win is a win," Gonzalez told The Texas Tribune. "We've been through tight races in the past. With Trump at the top of the ticket, he excites a lot of people that don't normally come out to vote."

His victory dashes Republican hopes of regaining the seat and making gains in the historically Democratic region, which includes Congressional District 34.

Gonzalez, D-McAllen, also defeated Flores, R-Los Indios, two years ago. The district was one of the few competitive congressional races this election cycle and one in which House Republicans poured millions of dollars into to try to win back.

When the two faced off in 2022, Flores, 38, was the incumbent, having been elected during a special election just a few months prior. Gonzalez, 57, defeated Flores that year by 8.5 percentage points.

Though he is currently in his first term as the representative for District 34, Gonzalez served three terms as the representative for neighboring District 15 before Texas lawmakers redrew him into the 34th district during state redistricting, making District 15 more competitive

District 34 stretches from Brownsville up the state’s southeastern coast to Kingsville. It also runs west into parts of Hidalgo County including parts of McAllen and Edinburg. About 87% of the residents here are Hispanic.

During the campaign, Flores emphasized the economic message shared by other Republican candidates this election cycle –– that Trump is better for the economy and that he needs people in Congress who would support his agenda.

During a televised debate last month, Flores also deferred to Trump-era policies on immigration.

She also repeatedly criticized Gonzalez for voting against a bill that would have prevented transgender women from participating in female sports.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also released an ad on her behalf accusing Gonzalez of pushing “sex changes for kids” over caring about the economy.

Gonzalez has denied supporting tax-funded gender transition surgeries for minors.

“We don’t want four more years of this crazy,” Flores said during a rally for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday. “We want a strong economy, we want more money in our pocket, we want a border that is secure.”

The 34th District attracted considerable investment from national Republicans, who viewed the race as its top pick up opportunity in Texas. The National Republican Congressional Committee and the Congressional Leadership Fund invested millions in television ads targeting Gonzalez, and House Republican leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana rallied in the district for Flores.

A moderate Democrat, Gonzalez campaigned on the federal investments brought to the district during his time in office. He's also expressed support for securing the border but emphasized addressing the root causes of migration by creating “safe zones” in migrants' country of origin so they wouldn't have to travel to the U.S. to apply for asylum.

Republican candidate Mayra Flores greets supporters at her watch party in Harlingen. (Credit: Gabriel Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune)

Flores, however, criticized Gonzalez for voting against a Republican-led immigration bill that would have prompted more construction of the border wall and would have further restricted asylum for migrants.

Gonzalez replied that the bill would have made it mandatory for employers to verify the immigration status for their workers through E-Verify, a system he said was too faulty. He also said the bill would have required residents to present a passport at an interior border patrol checkpoint about 80 miles north of McAllen, a concern Flores shrugged off.

Gonzalez’s campaign has accused Flores of lying to voters and referred to her positions as extremist, including accusing her of supporting a national abortion ban.

During the debate, both said they would oppose such a ban, however, Gonzalez noted Flores co-sponsored the Life at Conception Act. The bill, which did not pass, defined a human being to include all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, or cloning with no exceptions for in vitro fertilization

During a rally for Colin Allred last week, Gonzalez hoped to remind voters of what he characterized as historical Democratic victories such as equal pay for women, minimum wage, voting rights, and the G.I. Bill which provides benefits for veterans.

“The Democratic Party has helped the people of the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas come up — come up, be upwardly mobile, enter the middle class, get educated,” Gonzalez said.

The congressman has been under scrutiny during the campaign for some of his remarks — comparing Hispanic Trump supporters to “Jews for Hitler” in March and more recently comparing the current political climate to the Civil War.

Flores seized on his remarks, referring to Gonzalez as hateful. Gonzalez, however, stood by his comments.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

The Texas Tribune answering reader questions about 2024 elections. To share your question or feedback with us, you can fill out this form.