The election is over, but our work is not. These are our homes, our neighborhoods, and our families. The Rio Grande Valley should be respected, and we expect it to be a political battleground for years to come.
South Texans expect leaders who will deliver for our families and we will hold them to account. We’re proud of the campaigns Beto O’Rourke, Rochelle Garza, and Michelle Vallejo ran and the leadership they’ve shown. After tonight, the Rio Grande Valley can still count on Democrats in every local elected position, in six of seven state legislative positions, and in two congressional seats. Even outgoing Congresswoman Mayra Flores agrees: there was no red wave.
Republican Monica De La Cruz will need to deliver results on healthcare access, stopping flooding, lower prices and better wages, not more MAGA extremism. As an elected official from the border, she has a responsibility to defend our community and stop the portrayal of the border as Trump’s warzone fantasy. Accountability for her words and actions starts today.
This election cycle, MAGA Republicans reached into their bag of tricks. Republicans set out to carve up communities and virtually guarantee the results of the election. They picked their voters, and made it harder for our communities as a whole to have our voice heard. That’s what happened in Texas’ 15th Congressional District and Texas House District 37, and that’s why civil rights organizations are challenging these discriminatory Republican maps in court. On top of that, Republicans outspent Democrats by millions of dollars on negative ads to misinform voters. Nevertheless, the entire Rio Grande Valley is and remains blue.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Danny Diaz, political director of LUPE Votes. The column appears in The Rio Grande Guardian with the permission of the author. Diaz can be reached by email via: [email protected].
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