HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and former U.S. Representative Mayra Flores are running for the Texas 34th Congressional District for a second time.
Gonzalez is leading the race with 46,301 votes to Flores’s 45,164 with 42% of precincts reporting.
District 34 currently serves Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Kleberg and parts of Hidalgo County.
Heated battles between Republican Flores and Democrat Gonzalez have sparked an ongoing conversation between both political parties on who is best suited to represent the South Texas border.
The two candidates battling for the District 34 seat have had a series of counter-arguments against each other since 2022.
Both candidates argued their stance on border security, health care and education in the only debate for the 2024 U.S. Congressional District 34 race on ValleyCentral.
Border security and immigration pose critical implications for both candidates and South Texas voters.
Flores discussed her stance during the debate, pushing for legislation that requires people to carry their birth certificates to cross checkpoints.
She urged her priority to secure the South Texas border at all costs and supports the deportation of immigrants who commit crimes.
As reported on the Texas Tribune, Gonzalez says he wants to focus on addressing the root causes of migration if he is re-elected.
Gonzalez has expressed support for immigration reform by creating safe zones where asylum seekers can apply for asylum without having to come to the U.S. southern border or risk separating from family members.
Flores’ campaign advocates for legal immigration to allow the Border Patrol to prevent traffickers from entering the United States.
The core of Flores’ campaign is attributed to her being raised by immigrant parents. Flores was born and raised in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico by her parents and grandparents of farmworkers before migrating to the United States at age 6.
Mayra’s campaign praises her dad for helping her claim citizenship at a young age. Flores is the first Mexican-born woman to be elected to the United States House of Representatives after she declared victory during a special Congressional race for District 34 in 2022.
The special race was held to fill the seat for former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela who resigned early from Congress.
Flores won the 2022 special race against Democratic candidate Dan Sanchez, receiving 50.91% of the votes.
During her brief time in office, Flores introduced two bills related to border security and mental health. The border security bill she introduced focused on investing in Border Patrol to prevent drug smuggling into the U.S.
Her second bill is in response to gun violence and mass shootings at schools. The bill proposed to increase security on school campuses and increase mental health resources.
Neither bill passed.
If Gonzalez wins, it would mark the start of his fifth term serving as a U.S. Representative in Texas.
He represented District 15 for three terms from 2017 to 2022 before declaring his run in District 34.
His decision to run in a different district was based on Texas’ redistricting cycle that was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.
Gonzalez beat Flores in late 2022 in the District 34 race and has served the area since.
His fourth term brought hundreds of millions in funds that were allocated to local governments, organizations and charities in the Rio Grande Valley.
Gonzalez says the funds were used to manage increased encounters at the South Texas border while providing services to migrants.
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