McALLEN — With control of the U.S. House and Senate up for grabs on Election Day Tuesday, the Rio Grande Valley has increasingly become a battleground region for national politicos.
After more than a century as a staunch Democratic stronghold, the Valley has begun to lean more heavily red in recent years, which, in turn, has drawn some of the biggest names in the GOP down here to stump for new Republican hopefuls.
The latest example of that came Sunday, when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made an appearance at the Radisson Hotel in support of the so-called “triple threat” — Mayra Flores, Monica De La Cruz and Cassy Garcia.
“To me, this is one of the most important places to be. This is where history is gonna get made,” McCarthy said in front of a gaggle of press just before the “Take Back the House” campaign event got underway.
Republicans need to flip just five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in order to take control of the chamber. If they are able to do so, McCarthy is widely expected to become the next speaker of the house — one of the most powerful positions in Washington, D.C. and second in the line of succession to the presidency.
The Valley’s rightward shift recently resulted in a huge win for the Republican Party when voters elected Flores this June to fill the unexpired term of Democrat Filemon Vela Jr., who resigned on March 31.
Flores — the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress — won the short-term seat on a campaign of border security, faith and family values.
Now, Flores is hoping to hang onto her District 34 seat against Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from McAllen who was first elected to the 15th Congressional District in 2017.
The congressional district maps were redrawn after the 2020 census, meaning Gonzalez — now in District 34 — is not running with the incumbent advantage, despite being a sitting congressman.
“We made a little history this year with Mayra Flores getting elected,” McCarthy said.
“And she’s done a tremendous job, but she needs help … that’s why Cassy and Monica De La Cruz are gonna get elected, as well,” the minority leader said.
Meanwhile, De La Cruz — who has garnered an endorsement from former President Donald Trump — is seeking her first term in office against fellow newcomer, progressive Democratic candidate, Michelle Vallejo.
And finally, Garcia — once a top staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz — is looking to unseat District 28 incumbent Henry Cuellar, a moderate Democrat who has served in Congress since 2005.
During their joint appearance Sunday evening, the three women touched on familiar Republican themes — decrying President Joe Biden as the source of many of the nation’s ills, including an increase in drug overdoses, “unsecure” borders, runaway inflation, and, specifically, a false belief that the Biden administration plans to hire 87,000 IRS agents under the Inflation Reduction Act.
“And on the very first day, we are gonna vote to repeal 87,000 new IRS agents because we believe government should be there to help you, not go after you,” McCarthy told reporters.
Afterward, the group headed outside to address a crowd of hundreds. There, the candidates reiterated much of what they had told the press.
“When we flip these seats down here on Tuesday, there’s gonna be a red wave. I promise you, we will introduce a bill to defund the 87,000 IRS agents, my friends,” Garcia said.
“We don’t need 87,000 IRS agents, my friends, we need 87,000 Border Patrol agents, my friends,” she said, before similarly suggesting 87,000 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, or 87,000 school security guards.
In reality, the $80 billion earmarked in the bill for the IRS will go toward replacing some 50,000 IRS employees who are expected to retire in the coming decade, and will include ancillary staff, such as IT technicians and other support staff.
“Let’s fight to defend the conservative values that we were raised by our abuelitos and our parents. Values that run in our blood. That is in our DNA,” Flores said as she addressed the crowd in both English and Spanish.
“Not I, (but) we, are fighting not only for our values, but for a strong economy, to reduce inflation, and border security,” she added moments later.
When he took the stage, Newt Gingrich alluded to the national spotlight that has increasingly shone on Valley politics.
Just last week, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders came to McAllen to stump for Vallejo.
And on Monday, former President Bill Clinton will be making stops in Laredo and Edinburg to campaign for Cuellar and Vallejo, respectively.
“I know how Bill thinks. Bill read a New York Times story and he misunderstood it. It said there were these three stunning Latinas in South Texas,” Gingrich said.
“And he promptly said, ‘I gotta go campaign with them! In fact, I’d like to get to know each one of them personally,’” Gingrich quipped, referring to the former president’s reputation as a womanizer.
But between the jokes and the almost evangelical calls to action, each speaker also impressed upon the audience the need to get out the vote.
“Make sure — I know you all have friends, families that still haven’t (voted),” McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said.
“Make sure. Drag them out there. Do whatever you need to do, but get ‘em out there. We need to have victory,” he said.
