(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with a concession comment from Michelle Vallejo)
McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz won a second term in Congress on Tuesday night, representing a South Texas border district that before her election had been soundly Democratic.
With 100% of votes counted, De La Cruz, R-Texas, captured 58.04% of the votes for Texas’ 15th Congressional District. Her Democratic opponent Michelle Vallejo had 41.96% of the votes, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
In 2022, De La Cruz won by 53% to 44.8% for Vallejo.
On Tuesday, election results showed far more voters turned out this cycle than in 2022 to cast ballots. De La Cruz captured 127,644 votes to Vallejo’s 95,752 votes. In 2022, De La Cruz had garnered almost 81,000 votes to 68,000 for Vallejo.
In a victory speech De La Cruz made around 10:15 CST, she thanked Vallejo for running again and said: “Now it is time for all of us to come together and focus on what truly matters, and that is improving the lives of all of our residents. Now whether you voted for me or not, I will always fight for every Texan because I have not forgotten where I came from.”
In an exclusive interview with Border Report at her election watch party in McAllen, De La Cruz said she will continue to push for tougher border security laws.
“I will do what I’ve always been doing: working hard for this district and for our community, working hard on border security, working hard on a strong economy, and making sure that we protect senior’s benefits,” De La Cruz said.
At her election watch party at a hotel in McAllen, hundreds of supporters drank, sang and were all smiles throughout the night. When asked, most told Border Report that they expected De La Cruz to win another term.
While several precincts had yet to report, early returns showed that De La Cruz had more support in counties farther north of the border, including Wilson County, on the southeast outskirts of San Antonio, over 230 miles from the border city of McAllen.
Results in Hidalgo County were slow to come in but Vallejo won the early vote in the border county.
She also won Brooks County, just north of Hidalgo County.
This was similar to 2022 when Vallejo won areas closer to the Mexican border and De La Cruz claimed northern areas.
When asked by Border Report about the divided support, De La Cruz responded: “The community has seen how hard I have worked and what an effective leader I have been by passing five bills off the House floor in a deeply divided Congress and passing one into law. Not only that, but they know I support Border Patrol, strong border security, which ultimately means national security. The residents of Hidalgo County and our community want law and order and I’m here to deliver it.”
The bill De La Cruz introduced that was signed by President Joe Biden in September was the Bipartisan Bill to Prevent the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs.
Vallejo spent Election Day going from voting locations throughout Hidalgo County, including at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and at the Hidalgo County Elections Annex, where Border Report met up with her.
She said she is proud of her campaign staff and as the afternoon sun was preparing to fall below the horizon she urged voters to get out and cast their ballots.
“I’m feeling energized, excited, so grateful for all the work that my team has done, all of our volunteers, and everything that it’s taken for us to get to this day. I’ve been visiting polling locations since the morning, and enthusiasm is high. I’m coming across a lot of excited voters who are ready for a change, who are voting for me,” Vallejo said Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday morning, Vallejo issued a concession statement saying: “I am so proud of the movement we built, proud of the campaign we ran, and proud of the people of South Texas who fight so hard everyday for a better future for themselves and their families. I stepped up to run because I believe that South Texans deserve more — affordable health care, better education, better quality jobs, functioning and fair border and immigration policies, and the freedom for women to make their own decisions about their health. That’s what it’s going to take to get our economy back on track and strengthen our families. Thank you to my supporters in South Texas. Although this chapter may be closing, our work continues. Together, we will keep pushing for a brighter, fairer future. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your trust, strength, and unwavering dedication. I congratulate my opponent and hope she will work hard to honor the needs of our district.”
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
