‘We’re On Our Heels’: Democrats Reportedly Confront Campaign Leadership After Republicans Flip Texas Seat

Mary RookeJune 16, 2022

Latino Democrats confronted their campaign chair Wednesday after Republican Texas Rep.-elect Mayra Flores flipped a South Texas seat red in a special election Tuesday, according to Politico.

Democratic Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia and Democratic Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar were among the Congressional members who demanded a meeting with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair and Democratic New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, according to Politico. They reportedly wanted to discuss the Latino exit from the Democratic Party.

“I don’t know that it’s an intervention, but it’s gonna be a hard talk. It’s going to be a good, healthy family discussion,” Garcia told Politico. “The DNC [Democratic National Committee], the DCCC, and all the Democratic national groups really need to take a hard look at what happened. I realize this is a special, but it’s still given the Republicans a narrative to say: ‘We flipped a seat.’ And we should have done better.”

Democratic Texas Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who is set to face Flores in November, pulled Maloney aside on the steps of the Capitol to implore the Democratic Party leader to make changes in Latino outreach before the trend seen in Texas goes national, according to the outlet.

“I hope the DCCC learns their lesson with this before it happens across the country,” Gonzalez told Politico. “They have just forgotten about the brown people on the border. And that’s basically what it is. I’m not going to try to sugarcoat it anymore. They are taking Latinos in South Texas for granted.”

The district Flores won was held by Democrats for 100 years, reported Politico.

Democratic Illinois Rep. Chuy García, who represents a majority-Hispanic district near Chicago, told Politico the Democratic Party stopped financially prioritizing Latino districts, and the Flores win is the result.

“I think our historic disinvestment caught up to us,” he told the outlet. “We’re on our heels, and we need to invest heavily.”

The Hispanic vote shifted toward the Republican Party in 2020, and the momentum hasn’t slowed since, according to recent polling.

A May Quinnipiac poll showed President Joe Biden’s approval rating among Hispanics dropped to just 26%. Forty-six percent of Hispanics said they would support a Republican-controlled Congress over one controlled by Democrats, compared to 45% who support Democrats more, according to the same poll. (RELATED: ‘Trying To Silence Conservative Voices’: Hispanic Orgs Fight Back Against Soros Funded Latino Media Company)

The trend seen in predominantly Hispanic districts, like the 85% Latino district Flores won Tuesday, has Democrats asking why the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) isn’t investing the necessary resources to keep these districts blue, reported Politico.

Sanchez (D) concedes in #TX34 special election:

“Too many factors were against us, including little to no support from the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.” pic.twitter.com/jUk4npviC7

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) June 15, 2022

Maloney told Politico he believes Flores’s win was a fluke paid for by GOP financing. He promised that redistricting maps would allow Democrats to take back that seat in November.

“Look, I think the Republicans spent millions of dollars to win a seat that’s going away. We’re going to win this seat when it matters,” the DCCC chair said, according to Politico. “You never like to lose, and I understand why people were upset by that. I think Republicans burned a lot of money, and we’re going to end up with that seat.”

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chief and Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer told Politico the Flores win was about the Party platform, not the amount of money spent on her campaign.

“Our guys were talking about inflation and the economy and crime and the border. What were they talking about? Jan. 6,” Emmer said. “The border’s a big deal, and they’re not doing anything about it. We are actually more in touch with the voters than our colleagues on the other side of the aisle.”