Monica De La Cruz flips Texas border district red, says voters support law enforcement and legal immigration
Latina Republican defeats Democrat Michelle Vallejo in district near border
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Republican Monica De La Cruz flipped a Democrat-held congressional district near the border, telling "The Faulkner Focus" Wednesday that voters' concerns about border security fueled her win.
"I believe that in talking to the people in our community, they were saying that they wanted a stronger border. They want border security. They believe in law enforcement. But at the same time, they want legal immigration," said De La Cruz.
"Nobody down here in South Texas wants to see these illegal immigrants exploited by the cartels. We see it on a daily basis and nobody wants that. Not for the immigrants. And we also want to protect and we want to honor the hard work of our brave Border Patrol men and women who are on the front lines."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}US Republican congressional candidate Monica De La Cruz speaks at a campaign event on October 10, 2022 at the University Drafthouse in Mcallen, Texas. (Photo by allison dinner / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images) ( Photo by ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images)
De La Cruz narrowly beat her Democratic opponent Michelle Vallejo in the race for the newly-drawn 15th Congressional District in Texas, The Associated Press projected, marking a key win for the GOP in a race where border security was a top campaign issue.
The seat was recently redrawn following the 2020 Census, and includes a region of South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}De La Cruz said the first thing she plans to do when she gets to Congress is to help provide more support and resources for Border Patrol, so they can better protect not only South Texans, but all Americans.
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"They're missing resources that are critical to their success, things as simple as night vision goggles. They don't even have enough night vision goggles for the men who are protecting our country at night. That is simply unacceptable."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}De La Cruz, a small business owner, said voters, including single women, are increasingly frustrated by the economy and inflation.
"They want a better future, they want change," she said.
The race, which has a majority-Hispanic electorate, was being watched carefully by political prognosticators to see if a Hispanic turn to Republicans that emerged in the 2020 election was a one-off event or had longer staying power.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though De La Cruz was a winner Tuesday, Republicans Cassy Garcia and Mayra Flores were defeated in neighboring border districts.
Fox News' Adam Sabes and Adam Shaw contributed to this report