U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela has announced he won’t seek reelection to his congressional seat. Assuming he serves out his current term, he will continue to serve the 34th Congressional District until January 2023, giving people plenty of time to consider whether or not they wish to seek election to a district that currently runs from the eastern part of the Rio Grande Valley north to Gonzales County northeast of San Antonio. In fact, some might say the early announcement is a very Vela-like thing to do; it enables potential candidates to weigh their options, assemble their teams, build their campaigns and start filling their war chests.
We don’t know what’s in store for Vela, but we doubt it will end public life for the Brownsville lawyer. Earlier this year he was named a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee and President Joe Biden recently appointed his wife, former state appellate court Judge Rose Vela, to be director of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. The congressman was an early supporter of Biden during the presidential primaries, and has earned praise as a strong and fearless advocate for the people of South Texas and for the Democratic Party in general, so his own appointment within the administration or the party wouldn’t be a surprise.
Vela’s departure promises to result in an interesting, wide-open race in 2022. The Republican Party has pledged to campaign hard for the seat, and party members hold a majority on the legislative committees and the Legislative Redistricting Board that will redraw district boundaries after census counts are released later this year. Those members could draw district lines that give their party an advantage.
District 34 was created after 2010 Census and Vela was the first person elected to fill it; from 2011 until Vela was seated in January 2013, the eastern Valley was represented in the U.S. House by Blake Farenthold, a Republican.
Whoever seeks election to the position, regardless of party, would do well to review Vela’s performance during his five terms in office; they surely would find qualities that the people of his district would like to see in their next representative.
The Brownsville Democrat earned respect across the board for his willingness to fight for his constituents and border issues, famously sending a saucy letter to President Donald Trump telling him where he could stick his border wall. While his loyalty to his party was unquestioned, Vela showed a willingness to put his district above his party. He has worked with Republican lawmakers on issues such as border trade, and at one point he left the Congressional Hispanic Caucus over its acceptance of a border security bill he believed relied too much on militarization of the area.
That’s what the people of District 34 need — not just a foot-soldier for either party, but someone who recognizes that the district has substantial elements of both low-income residents who need assistance and services, and an atmosphere ripe for economic development that needs pro-business, pro-trade policies.
Vela’s performance in Congress is evidence that the two goals, while traditionally championed by opposing forces, aren’t mutually exclusive.
