Republicans look to expand gains in gerrymandered South Texas districts
In a region long seen as a Democratic stronghold, Republicans like Mayra Flores are moving to capitalize on newly drawn districts that tilt the balance in their favor.
Mayra Flores (R-TX) has recently confirmed that she will run against Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) to represent Texas’ 34th congressional district. Gonzalez, a conservative Democrat, has represented the 34th district since 2022, after defeating Flores with an 8-point margin of victory.
This announcement from Flores ended speculation that she might challenge Henry Cuellar (D-TX), another conservative Democrat, to represent Texas’ 28th congressional district. Both Gonzalez and Cuellar are Democrats that have frequently clashed with the national party on divisive issues.
Despite the fact that Cuellar and Gonzalez often sided with Republicans on legislation, their conservative record did not stop Texas Republicans from redrawing their districts to favor a GOP candidate. Now, both men stand to lose their seats in the 2026 elections unless Democrats dramatically improve turnout in these new districts.
“When they can’t win, they cheat. South Texans know that Republicans are trying to drown their vote and rig the elections in their favor, but it won’t help them here.” -Vicente Gonzalez to Spectrum News
How does this affect South Texas voters?
While both Cuellar and Gonzalez considered themselves conservative Democrats, they did typically vote with the Democratic Party on economic issues, with some exceptions. If these districts flip to Republicans, South Texas voters will not have any representation that would be willing to stand up for working class people on issues relating to Medicaid, SNAP, and public housing.
Under Republican representation, these districts would also lose more independent-minded perspectives in Congress, since Mayra Flores and other Republicans rarely challenge their party or Donald Trump. This would be a stark contrast to Cuellar and Gonzalez, who often break with the Democratic Party if their position didn’t align with the views of their districts.
It remains to be seen whether or not Democrats can change the trend in the region and whether or not South Texas voters will care more about culture war issues rather than dinner table issues.