Republican leaders are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice by recruiting Mayra Flores to run again for the primarily Hispanic U.S. congressional seat she captured and lost in the span of a few months in 2022.
Flores’ initial victory sent political shockwaves across the country, as the district she won in South Texas was considered safely Democrat. She won in a special election in the 34th Congressional District of Texas to finish out the term of Democrat incumbent Filemon Vela Jr., who resigned after serving nearly nine years in Congress.
In doing so, Flores became the first Republican to represent a portion of the Rio Grande Valley since 2010 and the first woman born in Mexico to be elected to Congress.
A few months later, after redistricting resulted in her district losing the more conservative Houston suburbs, Democrat Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen defeated Flores by nine percentage points.
Now, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is trying to lure Flores back into the race for her old seat. The NRCC is coming armed with polling data that shows Flores in a virtual dead heat with Gonzalez, according to The Texas Tribune.
Perhaps more encouraging to her supporters, the poll shows Flores leads 50% to 31% when it comes to self-described independent voters.
The polling firm that conducted the poll said in a memo obtained by The Texas Tribune that Flores “has already proven she can win, and new polling shows she remains popular.” However, Flores has not said whether she will throw her hat in the ring.
The Democrat reaction to a possible challenge by Flores has thus far been to dismiss her because of her defeat in the last election cycle.
“While the NRCC tries to convince Flores to run with dubious polling, the 2022 results speak for themselves,” tweeted CJ Warnke, the communications director for House Majority PAC, a political action committee devoted to getting Democrats elected to the U.S. House.
Warnke added that the 34th District “rejected [Flores’] extremism” and alleged that Gonzalez “has a proven record of lowering the cost of medicine, protecting Social Security, and expanding Medicare.”
If Flores decides to run, she will likely face some rivals in the Republican primary. The Republican field already includes businessman Mauro Garza, who has garnered the endorsement of Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who made national headlines for his stance on unlawful migration, reported The Texas Tribune.