The 2022
Texas's 34th congressional district
Texas's 34th congressional district is a district that was created as a result of the 2010 Census. The first candidates ran in the 2012 elections; the winner, Democrat Filemon Vela Jr., was seated for the 113th United States Congress. The di ...
special election was held on June 14, 2022. The seat, which went to
Democratic president
Joe Biden by only four points in the
2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala H ...
after being solidly blue in the past, became vacant after Democratic incumbent representative
Filemon Vela Jr.
Filemón Bartolomé Vela Jr. ( ; born February 13, 1963) is an American lobbyist, lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2013 until his resignation in 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Vela was also vi ...
resigned on March 31, 2022, to work at the law firm
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Washington, DC. It is the largest lobbying firm in the United States by revenue. Akin Gump has consistently been ranked as among the top law firms in the Un ...
.
Republican candidate
Mayra Flores
Mayra Nohemi Flores (born January 1, 1986) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she is the first female Mexican-born member of the House. ...
won outright with 51% of the vote. Although Democrat Dan Sanchez was able to hold on to the
Hidalgo County portion of the district by nine points, as well as flip
Kenedy County after it went to
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
, it was not enough to overcome Flores's gains in
Cameron
Cameron may refer to:
People
* Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan
* Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
;Mononym
* Cam'ron (born 1 ...
and
Willacy Counties, resulting in them narrowly flipping red in this race after going to Biden by double digits in the 2020 contest. Flores was also able to shore up support in the district's northern rural counties, which typically vote Republican in the past. Flores became the first Republican to represent parts of the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. ...
since
Blake Farenthold
Randolph Blake Farenthold (born December 12, 1961) is an American politician and lobbyist. A member of the Republican Party, Farenthold co-hosted a conservative talk-radio program before beginning a career in politics. Farenthold served as the U ...
flipped the in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.
Candidates
Democratic Party
Declared
*Dan Sanchez, attorney and former
Cameron County commissioner
*Rene Coronado, civil service director
Declined
*
Vicente Gonzalez, U.S. Representative for and nominee for this district in the
2022 regular election ''(endorsed Sanchez)''
Republican Party
Declared
*
Mayra Flores
Mayra Nohemi Flores (born January 1, 1986) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2022 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she is the first female Mexican-born member of the House. ...
, respiratory care practitioner,
Hidalgo County GOP Hispanic outreach chair, and nominee for this district in the
2022 regular election
*Juana Cantu-Cabrera, former
Palmhurst city Mayor Pro-Tem, former
UTPA nursing professor, Nurse Practitioner, Forensic Nurse examiner and candidate for this district in the
2022 regular election
Endorsements
Special election
Predictions
Polling
Fundraising
Results
See also
*
2022 United States House of Representatives elections
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 United States elections during incumbent president Joe Biden's term. The elections were held to elect representatives from all 435 U ...
*
2022 United States elections
The 2022 United States elections were held on November 8, 2022, with the exception of absentee balloting. During this U.S. midterm election, which occurred during the first term of incumbent president Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, all 4 ...
*
117th United States Congress
The 117th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., ...
*
List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
Notes
;Partisan clients
References
External links
;Official campaign websites
Juana Cantu-Cabrera (R) for CongressMayra Flores (R) for CongressDan Sanchez (D) for Congress
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