Midterm election season in Texas begins with the primaries on March 1, setting the stage for potentially one of the most expensive political races in the country.
According to Fox News, there's no incumbent in the 15th Congressional District, after redistricting led current Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, to announce that he will run for reelection in the less competitive 34th District.
Monica De La Cruz is one of the Hispanic Republican women who is helping the party make inroads with Hispanic voters in the 15th and is widely considered to be the GOP front-runner in the race for the district's seat.
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump endorsed De La Cruz, who was named to the GOP's "Young Guns" program, an initiative to elevate candidates who have a shot at flipping blue districts.
"Monica De La Cruz will be an incredible Congresswoman for the people of Texas' 15th Congressional District!" Trump said in a statement. "A successful small businesswoman, Monica will fight hard to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Uphold the Rule of Law, Support our Military and Vets, and Defend the Second Amendment. With Monica, we will flip this seat and elect a Member of Congress who puts America First. Monica has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
The Washington Examiner reported that De La Cruz said in December that Hispanic voters migrating to the Republican Party was a positive sign for her campaign.
"There was an awakening in our district that the values of the Democrat Party no longer aligned with the values of the people of South Texas," she said then.
According to The Texas Tribune, the 15th District is one of five districts that the National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting in Texas this year, including three in South Texas.
Democrats were taken aback by how well Trump did in South Texas in the 2020 election, Politico reports, taking it as a sign of support erosion among Hispanics.
This will be De La Cruz's second attempt to win the seat, having campaigned unsuccessfully against Gonzalez in 2020.
The 15th Congressional District stretches from south of Austin to the U.S.-Mexico border.
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