Mayra Flores Launches Comeback Bid in Texas

Former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX), who won a special election last year and then lost in the general election in November, is launching a comeback bid for her old congressional seat.

Flores shocked the political world when last year she won a special election in Texas’s 34th congressional district–traditionally it has been a Democrat stronghold–winning outright and avoiding a runoff in June last year.

That special election was held under old district lines, which were more favorable to Republicans than the new district lines that came into play in November in the general election last year when Flores ended up losing to Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)–who left a different longtime south Texas Democrat district for this one after redistricting. Gonzalez’s old district fell to Rep. Monica de la Cruz (R-TX) in November, but he ended up holding on and defeating Flores in her race.

But on Tuesday Flores launched a comeback bid where she is running against Gonzalez for her old seat in Congress.

“We made history in South Texas last year, but there is more work to be done,” Flores said in a statement announcing her campaign. “Joe Biden’s policies are running our country into the ground, and people in our communities are suffering.”

I am excited to announce that I am officially running for Congress in #TX34

We made history last year, but there’s still work to be done here in South Texas.

I’m running to help restore the American Dream, secure our borders, and stand strong on our values of God, Family and… pic.twitter.com/OgMKepIB8b

— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) July 11, 2023

National Republicans are thrilled Flores is running and likely to line up behind her. Some at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) have already hyped her announcement:

“Flores’ decision is a win for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of the House GOP.” #TX34 https://t.co/x9CaAW9Dm1

— Jack Pandol (@jackpandol) July 11, 2023

Flores, assuming she wins the nomination next year, would likely face Gonzalez, assuming Gonzalez decides to seek reelection.

As Breitbart News has reported, internal polling GOP officials conducted shows a neck-and-neck race between Flores and Gonzalez at the outset of the campaign. Picking up this district would help national Republicans, who hold a very slim House majority, pad their margins and make passing legislation that much easier for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.