After spending millions of dollars in South Texas, Republicans have very little to show for it — and it’s unclear whether they understand why.
South Texas rose to national attention following the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. Donald Trump made gains in the region, and Mayra Flores won a special election that flipped a seat red.
However, a few months later, Flores ran in the general election against Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, who previously represented a neighboring district but moved following redistricting. The NRCC and DCCC both threw their resources behind the candidates. In the end, it wasn’t that close. Gonzalez went home with about 53% of the turnout, winning by over 11,000 votes.