Republican Mayra Flores Flips House Seat in South Texas to Become First Mexican-Born Congresswoman

The conservative candidate’s big win for the GOP in a special election could be short-lived as she’ll need to win again in November to keep the seat beyond January

Photo: Eric Gay/AP Photo

Republican Mayra Flores scored a big win for the GOP Tuesday in a special election in South Texas to fill a U.S. House seat left open by an outgoing Democrat.

Flores, who was raised with "strong conservative values" and to "always put God and family first," earned nearly 51 percent of the vote, defeating the leading Democrat in the race, Dan Sanchez, who received a little more than 43 percent.

"This historic win will bring back God to the halls of Congress!" she wrote on Instagram Tuesday alongside an image that says, "We Won!"

"This win is for the people who were ignored for so long!" she continued in the post. "This is a message that the establishment will no longer be tolerated! We have officially started the red wave!!"

Born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Flores immigrated to the U.S. when she was 6 years old and will be the first Mexican-born woman to serve in the House of Representatives. She's married to a U.S. Border Patrol agent, which she reportedly touted often during her campaign.

"For over 100 years, we have been taken for granted," Flores said, declaring victory in a speech on Tuesday at a rally with supporters in San Benito, Texas, The Texas Tribune reports. "I will show you what real representation looks like. I will represent all people."

Eric Gay/AP Photo

A win for the GOP candidate in the Rio Grande Valley could serve as a warning for Democrats, who've historically prevailed in the region.

But Flores' time in Congress could be brief. Tuesday's special election was held to select a representative to finish up Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela's term, which ends in January, after he resigned in March to become a lobbyist.

Flores will face Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat currently representing a neighboring district, in November for a redrawn 34th District, which appears to favor Democrats.

And Democrats are confident their candidate will prevail on Election Day over Flores, an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, whose campaign website declares she is "Pro-Life," "Pro-God," "Pro-Second Amendment" and "will ALWAYS put America first."

Eric Gay/AP Photo

In April, Monica Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told the San Antonio Express-News, "Flores has raced so far to the extreme right that she's completely out of touch with South Texans."

In an interview with the paper, Flores also claimed there was voter fraud in South Texas, though she declined to say where or whether it cost Trump the presidential election in 2020, a lie he continues to promote despite widespread evidence to the contrary.

Flores also denied being a supporter of QAnon, the sprawling and evolving set of right-wing conspiracy theories, despite repeatedly including hashtags used by supporters of the movement in social media posts, which have been documented by news outlets and Media Matters for America.