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In the political sphere, endorsements are extremely important for forming public opinion and affecting election results. Today, we highlight Michelle Vallejo, a rising contender who has received a lot of support from the National Democrats. Leading members of the party have taken an interest in and endorsed Vallejo, who is vying for the hotly fought 15th congressional seat. We examine the motivations behind this endorsement in this blog article, as well as any possible implications for the next elections. Come along as we explore the background of Michelle Vallejo’s ascent to political prominence.
National Democrats back Michelle Vallejo for 15th congressional district
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WASHINGTON — Michelle Vallejo is receiving support from members of the US House Democratic Party as she attempts to beat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the 15th congressional district this year.
Vallejo will be a part of the inaugural class of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” initiative, which chooses deserving candidates to back against Republican incumbents. This announcement was made on Monday. In 2022, Vallejo made an unsuccessful bid for the position.
In a statement, Vallejo stated, “I am incredibly proud to have been added to the DCCC’s first round of their coveted ‘Red to Blue’ program.” “South Texas needs a champion who will stand up in Congress every day to safeguard Social Security and Medicare, cut expenses for families, increase access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, and uphold the right to an unrestricted sexual orientation.”
Related video: KGET Bakersfield interview with incumbent Representative David Valadao of the 22nd Congressional District
Another Democrat has announced his candidacy: Pharr lawyer John Villarreal Rigney. In the district’s Democratic primary in 2022, which spans from Seguin to McAllen, he came in third.
The state’s most competitive district is the fifteenth one. Democrats feel more comfortable spending their money on a candidate after Rep. Henry Cuellar triumphed in the 28th district and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez easily won the 34th district last year. A month after the DCCC said in April of last year that it would aggressively spend in the 15th district, Vallejo declared her intention to run again. The group currently believes that one of its greatest opportunities to flip a seat is in the 15th district.
The most likely competitors to the party are given training, staffing, and strategic assistance through the Red to Blue initiative. Vallejo raised more than $2.3 million in the previous cycle and has three times the cash on hand as of this writing (2022) compared to 2022.
Nevertheless, Republicans’ unwavering support for De La Cruz, who raised more than $4.6 million in the previous campaign, remained unmatched. Her win served as an example of how to win over Latino populations to the GOP.
Numerous things are working in De La Cruz’s favor. The 15th district now has more conservative, rural communities north of the Rio Grande Valley than it did before the 2022 redistricting cycle. Under the previous district lines, the district supported President Joe Biden in 2020; however, with the revised borders, the district would have supported former President Donald Trump by 2.8 points.
Even in Hidalgo County, the Democratic bastion that is home to McAllen, the county’s main population center, De La Cruz reduced her deficit significantly from her botched 2020 campaign against Gonzalez.
Democrats are emphasizing Vallejo’s local origins and support of abortion rights. Along with her father, Vallejo owns and operates a flea market in Alton. She has been outspoken in her criticism of Senate Bill 8, which outlawed abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, Texas passed a trigger legislation outlawing abortion completely, with no exceptions for rape.
“Michelle is deeply rooted in local issues, from her firsthand knowledge of the importance of affordable, high-quality health care to her understanding of the challenges and hardships faced by small businesses in South Texas,” a statement from Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Washington, the DCCC chair, stated. “In stark contrast to MAGA radical Monica De La Cruz, voters can identify to her narrative and trust her to fight for them.”
De La Cruz has praised laws that restrict abortion and stated that she will prioritize abortion limitation in her 2022 campaign. She stated to The Daily Beast that she will still give it top attention in her 2024 campaign.
As a progressive, Vallejo ran for office in 2022. Her 2024 agenda is centered on problems that affect everyday people, such as raising the minimum wage to keep up with inflation, bolstering South Texas’s oil and gas sector, and extending Medicare.
