Four years ago, Mayra Flores was riding a wave of success following a special election victory that positioned her as a prominent figure in Republican efforts to attract Hispanic voters during the Trump administration.
“We are all really proud of Mayra,” Trump shared on social media after she won the 34th Congressional District. “Great things to come!!!”
Fast forward to today, and Flores finds herself in a challenging predicament. After two election losses, she is now facing strong competition from her primary opponent, former federal prosecutor Eric Flores, who has garnered the backing of Trump and other influential Republicans as she embarks on her third bid to reclaim her former seat in South Texas.
“You cannot do something for a third time and expect a different result,” Eric Flores stated in an interview, criticizing Mayra’s candidacy. “You have a candidate who significantly lacks substance.” His campaign ads have taken a more aggressive tone, branding Mayra Flores a “loser.”
The rivalry between the two is palpable. “I did it when it was hard. I ran so someone like him could walk,” Mayra Flores remarked in an interview. “When they think of a Flores, they don’t think of him. They think of Mayra Flores.”
The stakes are significant for Republicans, who have redrawn district lines to create a more favorable environment for flipping seats and solidifying their recent gains in predominantly Hispanic areas of South Texas. However, they are up against a seasoned Democratic incumbent, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who has defeated Flores in both prior elections. Additionally, Trump’s diminishing popularity with Hispanic voters poses another challenge.
A recent University of Texas poll revealed that Democrats are leading in the generic congressional ballot among Texas Hispanic voters, 50% to 31%. With nearly 75% of the eligible voters in the new 34th District identifying as Hispanic, the political landscape is crucial.
As both candidates share similar positions on key issues, their fiercest debates have centered on who is better equipped to flip the district and pave the way for Hispanic Republicans in the Trump era. Yet, Eric Flores has secured the endorsement of Trump, Governor Greg Abbott, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and other Republican leaders, which has bolstered his profile. Supporters point to his law-and-order background, highlighting his experience prosecuting crimes along the Texas-Mexico border as an assistant U.S. attorney.
This significant backing has left Mayra Flores counting on her established name recognition and local connections to overcome the odds. “Clearly Washington does not understand the meaning of loyalty, but the people of South Texas, of District 34, do,” she asserted.
The race will receive heightened attention on Friday when Trump is expected to visit Corpus Christi, a key city in the district. Although the White House has not released specific details about the visit, the timing—just four days ahead of the primary—hints at a possible show of support for Eric Flores.
Mayra Flores initially won the special election runoff for the 34th District in 2022 but lost the subsequent election for a full term in a newly drawn district that favored President Biden by nearly 16 points. She lost by a 9-point margin, which, while significant, was not enough for her to retain the seat.
In a second attempt in 2024, backed again by Trump, she fell short by 3 percentage points, even as Trump won the district by 5 points. Eric Flores’ campaign ads have included visual comparisons illustrating her electoral deficits alongside Trump’s performance.
Now, Mayra Flores finds herself competing in a reconfigured 34th District, altered yet again by a mid-decade redistricting plan pushed by Texas Republicans under Trump’s influence. The newly drawn district is one that Trump would have won by 10 points in 2024, having expanded to include more conservative voters from the Corpus Christi area.
Initially, Mayra Flores had intended to run for the 28th District, currently held by Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, but switched to the 34th District shortly after the Texas Legislature approved the new map.
The primary race for this newly drawn district began with a crowded field, but following Trump’s endorsement of Eric Flores in December, several candidates withdrew their bids in favor of him. Mayra Flores reacted to Trump’s decision by criticizing him for supporting a candidate “pretending to be MAGA.”
David Garza, a lawyer from Brownsville who has backed Mayra Flores since her initial campaign, advised her to remain resilient in the face of this setback. “If she wasn’t known, I’d think [the Trump endorsement] could have an impact,” Garza noted. “For people who’ve known her and supported her, I don’t think that changed the needle.”
Scott Mandel, a businessman from Corpus Christi who suspended his campaign after Trump’s intervention, expressed little doubt in his support for Eric Flores. “I think there is a lot of fatigue, and if she gets this spot, she loses to Vicente,” Mandel said. “There’s no question.”
Mayra Flores contends that her political experience and “battle scars” equip her to finally secure the district this time. She insists she will not take her candidacy for granted and plans to run as if it were still a Biden district, referencing the previous Democratic-leaning version of the seat.
Garza pointed out that it is “apples and oranges” to compare her past two races given the significant changes in district lines.
While Eric Flores has gained momentum as a fresh candidate, some Republican operatives acknowledge that Mayra Flores remains a formidable contender, particularly due to her familiarity among voters after appearing on five ballots in the region since June 2022. This dynamic could complicate the path for either candidate to secure the majority necessary for a decisive win on Tuesday. Should both candidates fail to reach 50%, they will face off in a runoff in late May, extending their rivalry into potentially more contentious territory.
Both candidates have been competitive in fundraising efforts, with each reporting around $1.3 million as of February 11, the latest date for which campaign financial disclosures are available. Eric Flores’ total includes nearly $500,000 in personal loans to his campaign and support from at least three external groups, one of which is a super PAC. This group, Operation Guardian Support PAC, has received significant funding—$200,000—from McAllen businessman Jaime Ramirez.
This financial backing has enabled a barrage of campaign attacks focused on Mayra Flores’ electoral history and loyalty to Trump.
Eric Flores’ ads label Mayra Flores a “failed career politician” who has leveraged her campaign efforts for personal gain. Notably, she has continued to pay herself a salary during her current campaign, which is permissible under certain conditions set by the Federal Election Commission.
In addition, Eric Flores has pointed to Mayra Flores’ earlier criticisms regarding Trump’s lack of support for her. In her interview, she avoided reiterating the criticism and instead suggested that Trump’s “advisers” led him astray.
Since the fallout, Mayra Flores has accepted a $5,000 campaign donation from the leadership PAC of Rep. Thomas Massie, a prominent GOP critic of Trump in Congress. When questioned about the donation, she expressed her gratitude for all support in her campaign.
Mayra Flores has directed her criticism towards Eric Flores’ previous role as an assistant U.S. attorney, accusing him of being affiliated with the “Biden DOJ.” In response, Eric Flores clarified that he was a career prosecutor and not a political appointee selected by the former Democratic president.
“I think this just shows her lack of understanding of the government,” Eric Flores stated. “If I in fact was Biden DOJ, President Donald J. Trump would not have endorsed me.”
Mayra Flores has also attempted to connect Eric Flores to Biden, alleging that he voted for him based on his primary voting history and cited a Facebook post where he mentioned “watching” Biden’s inauguration. However, Eric Flores’ campaign refuted these claims, asserting that he did not vote for Biden and that he was stationed in Victoria on the day of the inauguration as a member of the Texas Army National Guard.
