WASHINGTON — South Texas is again emerging as a crucial battleground in the fight for control of Congress. National Democrats are targeting the South Texas seat U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, held onto last November. The region was once solidly Democratic, but it has been shifting to the right in recent elections.


What You Need To Know

  • National Democrats are going after U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz's district in South Texas, calling her the most vulnerable Republican in Texas

  • Republicans have made gains among Hispanic voters, especially in counties along the U.S.-Mexico border

  • De La Cruz beat Democrat Michelle Vallejo by double digits, but did not clear the 60% threshold like the rest of her Republican colleagues from the Lone Star State 

  • So far, no Democrat has come forward to run for De La Cruz's seat

By maintaining Texas’ 15th Congressional District last fall, De La Cruz helped Republicans keep their narrow majority in the U.S. House.

“I’m going to do what I’ve always been doing for this district and for our community, working hard on border security, working hard on a strong economy, and making sure that we protect seniors’ benefits,” she said in an interview on Election Day.

Democrats see their path to winning control of the House next year as running right through the district. They are calling De La Cruz the most vulnerable Republican in Texas, and are once again eyeing her seat.

In a statement, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said, “Monica De La Cruz is running scared, and she should be. From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, she’s broken her promises to Texans, and it’s going to cost her her seat.”

Álvaro Corral, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said he was somewhat surprised to hear that her seat was targeted, given the margin of victory in her reelection.

“That probably just means that Democrats are looking to be pretty bullish for 2026 and trying their best to sort of target at least some sort of seat that they can nab back from Republicans, and they’ve identified Monica de la Cruz’s seat,” Corral said.

Republicans have made gains among Hispanic voters, especially along the border in South Texas. De La Cruz’s district is largely based in Hidalgo County, which is among several Hispanic majority border counties that flipped for President Donald Trump.

“Monica De La Cruz has been a relentless champion for Texans, delivering real results for the Lone Star State. She was reelected last year by nearly 15 points, and she’ll once again embarrass any out of touch Democrat that is foolish enough to challenge her,” Zach Bannon, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement from Spectrum News.

Although De La Cruz beat Democrat Michelle Vallejo by double digits, but De La Cruz did not clear the 60% threshold like the rest of her Republican colleagues from the Lone Star State. 

“If President Trump’s first midterms in the 2018 elections are any indication, that was a really good year for Democrats nationwide, and so I think they’re looking to replicate that,” Corral said. 

“We’re only less than 100 days into the second Trump administration, but there’s been, there’s starting to be, I think, a bit of a backlash towards some of these extreme measures on a variety of issues, whether it’s free speech or immigration and deportations, obviously, what’s going on with the uncertainty around tariffs and what that may do to the economy,” Corral said.

So far, no Democrat has come forward to run for De La Cruz’s seat. 

Meanwhile, national Republicans are targeting South Texas districts held by Democrats, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo. Cuellar is facing federal bribery and corruption charges. Former U.S. Rep Mayra Flores announced she’ll challenge Cuellar.