Republican Mayra Flores caused a stir in the summer. She surprisingly won the seat in a by-election in a district in south Texas. This Texas 34th District bordering Mexico has voted for the Democrats for decades. Her secret of success: conservative Christian values.
An election event in Weslaco, Texas on the border with Mexico is a mixture of religious and political occasion. It takes place in a church in Weslaco and is organized by the conservative movement Texas Youth Summit.
Legend:
Hundreds of women and men take part in the election event in Weslaco – a mixture of religious and political occasion.
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Not only young people came, but a few hundred women and men of all ages. Most of them have Mexican roots. The founder of the movement, Christian Collins, is quick to make it clear what values his movement stands for. “We have to get the churches involved in the election campaign,” he says, “and believe in our success.” Even if it takes time: “We saw it with the abortion ban. It took decades for the Supreme Court to rule in Roe v. Wade made a total ban possible again.” Cheers break out.
Democrats too progressive
And then the long-awaited Republican Congresswoman Mayra Flores takes the stage. She is the best proof that everything is possible with God, she is announced. Mayra Flores won the Republican seat in the typically Democratic-voting south of Texas. She knows that many of those present traditionally vote for the Democrats. It is important for her to be loyal to God and not to a party.
Legend:
The Republican Mayra Flores scores in the election campaign with conservative Christian values.
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In an interview, Mayra Flores then explains that the population in South Texas is conservative and that their values are shaped by God, family and hard work. “The Democratic Party has benefited from this for a long time.”
Mayra Flores was born in Mexico and emigrated to the USA with her parents at the age of six. Her father also always voted Democrats and initially had trouble with the fact that she was running for the Republican party. “Now he understands because the Democratic Party no longer represents his values.”
Against illegal immigration
When asked what she had to say about Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abott, who was bussing Mexican and other Latin American immigrants to the capital in Washington, Mayra Flores replies that she has nothing against legal immigration. “But South Texas just can’t take all the illegal immigrants anymore.”
Mayra Flores speaks from the heart of those present. For example Viola and Tomas Treviño. Both immigrated from Mexico many years ago. Raised strictly Catholic. Tomas says the Democrats no longer hold those values. «I believe in marriage between a man and a woman; Life is sacred to me.”
Legend:
It is important to be loyal to God and not to a party, Flores maintains at the election event.
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His wife Viola adds that she wants a change. The incumbent government does not put God, the family and the community at the center.
It won’t be easy for Mayra Flores to defend her seat in the House of Representatives. Polls predict a neck-and-neck race with the Democratic candidate that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. But everyone in the hall is convinced that God will judge.
Public safety paramount
Latinos and Latinas turn away from the Democrats not only for religious reasons, but also because they feel addressed by issues such as public safety and crime.
The Democrats screwed it up.
A good 500 kilometers to the north, Cleo Petricek sits in her office and says that she has always voted for Democrats, but now she is bitterly disappointed in them. Cleo Petricek grew up as Cleopatra Luna in the poorest of circumstances in Dallas, as she says, as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. As a Latina, she pays close attention to which politicians would help or harm her community. The 36-year-old mother now lives with her husband in Austin, a democratically governed city in the Republican state of Texas.
“The Democrats messed it up,” she says. It started three years ago when the city government lifted the ban on camping for the homeless. “Then they took over parks and public spaces – especially in deprived neighborhoods where many Latinos and Latinas live.” When a homeless shelter was planned right next to a school, it became too much for her. This policy is cruel and unfair.
Cleo Petricek founded the citizens’ movement “Save Austin now”. She is committed to saving her city. This also includes more respect and more financial support for the police, says Cleo Petricek. It drives her mad that the democratic city government is failing so much.
Tricky situation for moderate voters
Cleo Petricek speaks with passion and emotion, sounding like she’s in the middle of a Republican campaign. But: In the abortion issue, she clearly represents the position of the Democrats. “I am in favor of every woman being able to make her own decisions and against a ban on abortion.” This is a tricky situation.
We are against a ban on abortion, but also for safe access to schools.
In a campaign where Democrats and Republicans are betting on such different issues, a moderate voter like Cleo Petricek must decide which issues to prioritize. She is not alone in this. This is shown by surveys, but also by their personal experiences: «In my circle of friends, who mostly vote democratically, we are both against a ban on abortion, but also for safe access to schools and parks in our city. »
The decision seems to have been made long ago. She will vote for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, although she once supported opposition candidate Beto O’Rourke as a volunteer campaigner. Cleo Petricek says diplomatically into the microphone that she hasn’t decided yet. But then Cleo Petricek poses for a photo in front of a stack of posters that say “Abbot Governor” and in front of a poster: “We love Austin Police”. Women like Cleo Petricek could play an important role in the midterms and cost Democrats crucial votes in urban areas.
You can find more news and background information about the Midterms here.