Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Michelle Vallejo, a Democrat, is seeking reelection in the 15th Congressional District of Texas, with the aim of reclaiming the U.S. House seat that was won by Republicans in the previous year.
Vallejo made the announcement Tuesday morning in a video that criticized the GOP incumbent, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Edinburg, on multiple issues, including Republican efforts to cut spending for social services and curtail access to abortion.
Vallejo stated in the video, “Monica De La Cruz may make numerous promises to us, la gente, in South Texas. However, her track record in Congress reveals a contrasting narrative.”
Vallejo ran for the 15th District in 2022, when it was an open seat, and lost to De La Cruz by 9 percentage points. Redistricting had tilted the seat in favor of the GOP, but national Democrats also declined to seriously invest in Vallejo and prioritized other races. That decision led to recriminations inside the party as it sought to fend off a well-funded GOP offensive in South Texas, which ultimately produced mixed results.
Vallejo expressed her optimism regarding the national Democratic investments in her race, highlighting the recognition of the district’s competitiveness by both Republicans and Democrats.
Vallejo expressed great confidence in the resources being prepared for Texas 15. He emphasized that both parties have identified this seat as a highly contested battleground, which highlights the vulnerabilities exhibited by Monica De La Cruz as a current member of Congress.
Starting from McAllen at the Mexican border, the 15th District extends all the way up to Guadalupe County east of San Antonio.
Unseating De La Cruz will not be easy. She has been running for the 15th District since the 2020 election cycle, when she came surprisingly close to defeating its Democratic incumbent at the time, Vicente Gonzalez. And her 9-point margin last year outperformed the 3-point win former President Donald Trump would have had under the redrawn district boundaries in 2020.
De La Cruz stated in a release that there will be ample opportunity to address his track record of bipartisan efforts in benefiting South Texas. However, his current priority lies in advocating for his positive agenda aimed at resolving the Biden border crisis, offering tax relief to working families, and safeguarding Medicare and Social Security for our seniors to retire with respect.
Medicare and Social Security will undoubtedly be a major point of debate in the campaign. In her launch video, Vallejo accused De La Cruz of “jeopardizing” the two programs, citing a January media report that some House Republicans were considering changes to entitlements as part of the fight over raising the debt ceiling.
House Republicans have firmly refuted any claims of cutting Social Security and Medicare, emphasizing that their budget resolution passed last month does not include any reductions to these programs.
Despite the 2022 campaign, Democrats see an opportunity to win back the 15th District. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced last month that it will target the seat in 2024, suggesting it will not be as hands-off as it was in the previous cycle.
National Republicans, for their part, are again targeting the neighboring 34th District, where Gonzalez is now the incumbent.
Republicans would face a significant setback if they were to lose the 15th District, as their efforts to engage with Hispanic voters and align with their social conservatism would be undermined.
Vallejo’s launch was met with a response from the National Republican Congressional Committee, branding her as a “radical liberal.”
In a statement, NRCC spokesperson Delanie Bomar expressed that Michelle Vallejo’s poor performance in TX-15 last year was due to the fact that even many Democrats refused to vote for her. Bomar further stated that South Texans have already rejected Vallejo and will likely do so again in 2024.
Vallejo ran as an unabashed progressive when she emerged as the 2022 Democratic nominee in the 15th District. She championed proposals such as a $15-per-hour minimum wage and the single-payer health care system known as Medicare for All. Vallejo narrowly defeated a more moderate candidate, Ruben Ramirez, in the 2022 Democratic primary by only 0.2 points.
Vallejo expressed her commitment to carrying forward her campaign on a comparable platform addressing vital policy matters such as healthcare accessibility, economic growth, and reproductive rights. Additionally, Vallejo highlighted her perspective gained from overseeing a family-run “pulga,” or flea market, which has granted her a distinctive understanding of various segments within her community.
Vallejo disregarded the criticism suggesting that she is excessively progressive for a district that has historically been represented by moderate Democrats.
Vallejo said, “Having been raised in this district, I have a strong connection to it. As a small-business owner, I have had the opportunity to support numerous other small businesses. Throughout my life, I have never categorized myself solely in one role, but rather as someone who advocates for the community.”
As of now, there have been no additional Democratic candidates of credibility who have come forward to contest the 15th District race in 2024.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, happening in downtown Austin on Sept. 21-23. Get your TribFest tickets by May 31 and save big!