Several Latino Democrats approached their campaign leader on the House floor, just under 24 hours after the GOP captured a congressional seat in South Texas.
Democrats were pleading with the party to make a critical change in direction.
Republicans Are Storming It
Conservatives blew up more than 200 years of continuous Democratic dominance in the region Tuesday evening.
A Republican won a special election in a mainly Latino bordering district in which the GOP made tremendous inroads in recent years.
Since previous President Trump slashed the Democrat Party’s advantages in the Rio Grande Valley in 2020, Democrats have been concerned about this trend.
However, from the start, national Republicans pumped millions into the special election in this 85 percent Latino area.
Despite calls from lawmakers to get engaged earlier, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its supporters only made a minor contribution in the end.
Vital point from @BernieSanders about why the Dem Party is failing:
Democrats, "over the years, [have] been hemorrhaging support from the white working class, it is now losing support from Latino, Black and Asian workers as well."https://t.co/9z1UDPRVUK
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 16, 2022
Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez said, “They’ve basically forgotten about the brown folks on the boundary.”
“That’s pretty much what it is. I’m never going to lie to you, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. In South Texas, they take Latinos for granted.”
Several lawmakers addressed DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney when the House met on Wednesday afternoon. They included Democratic Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar, both of whose Texas seats are primarily Latino.
Garcia said she sought a meeting next week, while Escobar, Gonzalez, and Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Joaquin Castro have all agreed to participate.
“I’m not sure if it’ll be an intervention, but it’ll be a difficult conversation,” she remarked. “It’ll be a nice, healthy family conversation.”
Democrats Strike Back
Gonzalez isn’t planning on waiting until the following week.
He halted Maloney on the Capitol steps for a one-on-one talk, begging with the party to increase its commitment in an area that is increasingly leaning Republican; he cautioned the loss might have been avoided.
The scenario, according to senior Democrats like Maloney, is more difficult.
They claim the GOP spent a lot of money for a symbolic, short-term win since the seat will be lost due to a redistricting snafu. Democrats will have a far easier time winning the new district.
Democrats have gone ‘so far left’ that they no longer represent the values of Latino Americans. The Democrat Party has walked away from the Hispanic community. #SaveAmerica #TX34 pic.twitter.com/OzDehr6S8x
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) June 16, 2022
“Look, I believe conservatives spent a fortune to gain a seat that isn’t going to be re-elected.”
In a brief interview, Maloney stated, “We’re going to be winning this seat when it matters.”
“I understand why so many people were furious because you don’t like to lose. I believe Republicans squandered a lot of money and we’ll end up with that position.”
While the demise of this soon-to-be-defunct version of Texas’ 34th district is just temporary, the pattern it reflects is becoming increasingly alarming to Democrats.
Flores’ landslide victory — she is a healthcare provider and the wife of a Border Patrol agent — gives Republicans their first midterm flip of the cycle. It also gives them a unique message as they seek to grab other border and majority-Latino seats in November.
