Today, Michelle Vallejo made it official that she’s running for Congress, in what could be a rematch against Republican Monica De La Cruz in the Texas fifteenth congressional district.
Vallejo ran against De La Cruz in 2022, in a district that was changed significantly through redistricting. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez won by three points in 2020, before shifting to another district when the new maps were revealed. De la Cruz won TX-15 in 2022 with 53 percent of the vote.
Republicans, touting new momentum with Latino voters, had been hoping for a three-for-three sweep in congressional races in south Texas. They had to settle for just one.
Vallejo’s announcement highlights her unique candidacy. Her family has been a bedrock of their community thanks to managing Pulga Los Portales in Alton, Texas. Vallejo would go on to study at Columbia University. A seminal moment for Vallejo came in 2010, when her mother passed away from multiple sclerosis at just 46.
The launch video for Vallejo also notes De La Cruz’s extremism, and her lockstep attitude with Republicans desire to slash Social Security and Medicare. Vallejo’s also references De La Cruz’s anti-choice beliefs. Though in 2022, de la Cruz ran on keeping abortion illegal in Texas, that doesn’t appear on the Issues page of her website now.
After she lost to Gonzalez in 2020, De La Cruz claimed voter fraud cost her the election, though she produced no evidence. She also attended a “Stop the Steal” rally and supported indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit to try and toss out the electoral votes of four swing states.
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