McALLEN, Texas |...Her bared-teeth detractors forever carp on the fakery. They say Republican Mayra Flores is not really a Republican, that the excitable commentary she lays out for voters is a pack of lies - surely material no one born in Mexico would throw out for voters.
Her boisterous backers say she's dead-on. On target, they mean. God-Family-Country, her constant campaign refrain may annoy, but it also resonates. As always, it's where you sit in the political arena.
At the risk of coming at you like a modern-day St. Stephen ("Wherever he goes, the people all complain."), I shall venture the inconvenient news that Mayra Flores may win on Tuesday's party primary...and in the November General Election.
If ever a Rio Grande Valley candidate arrived as if aboard a lost taxi, it is the 38-year-old Miss Flores. What is she doing in town, may be a question they asked initially, only that has fallen by the wayside as her political profile has exceeded that of local, Old-Line politicians.
Mayra Flores has the hottest name in South Texas. Not bad for a candidate born just a few miles south of the Rio Grande.
She's formidable in a loud way and proud of it. Style, they will tell you, is what you need in today's national politics. Loud Mayra Flores has been to the mountaintop (a brief, six-month stint as a congresswoman in 2022, after winning a special election). Then, she lost big to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, who beat her by some 10,000 votes to keep his 34th Congressional District seat in the last go-round.
Her Republican opponents in Super Tuesday's vote are, as she would likely put it, "not at my level," and she's right. Backbench candidate Laura E. Cisneros was a Democrat as recently as the last election, a fact serious Republicans know and keep in mind. Wealthy candidate Mauro Garza has a shot, at least a better one than Cisneros, only he's lost the last two races for this same post, in 2020 and in 2022. Third aspirant is one Gregory Kunkle, a political cypher also a loser in 2022.
It'll be Mayra Flores taking home the bacon on Tuesday.
That may rest as an inconvenient truth for Flores haters, but party fights rarely move away from the favorite. I mean, Miss Flores was endorsed by Republican God Donald J. Trump in 2022. He applauded her special election victory and said he expected great things from the South Texan.
That died in November of that same year, but Flores never said she was quitting the sport.
She's still here.
Still a force of some sort.
Still hungry as all get-out. The desire for a fight and victory seems to be swimming her veins. They hate her lies, her false posturing, her big mouth, her ever-brawling style. You could say all of that - or any one of that - would have quickly eliminated her 10-20 years ago.
Fortunately for her, the current political climate almost demands a certain stubbornness and disdain.
Democrat incumbent Gonzalez isn't quite beating the campaign drum these days, at least not yet. Without party opposition, he's set for the November fight and maybe believes he has time to wait on Tuesday's Republican results before placing Flores in his crosshairs.
He should know that Candidate Mayra Flores is not happy...except when she wins...
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If you ask me, Mayra has little to offer. She'd be a GOP puppet in D.C.
ReplyDeletepoor mayra. she likely would have been a better Democrat!
DeleteWorry more about the Supreme Court and its handling of the Trump cases. Hopefully, the SC won't rule in Trump's favor on immunity for two reasons. One it will set a precedent for all future Presidents, and two, Biden will benefit from the ruling as well if it goes Trump's way.
ReplyDeleteIt's about delaying the trials and the SC is playing Trump's game. 6 Republicans, 3 Demos on this court.
DeleteYou said it.
DeleteWhere's Melania?
ReplyDeleteImmigration fuels a booming economy — "You can’t grow like this with just the native workforce." Whites won't work the crop fields or the meat packing plants. Fact.
ReplyDeleteI've been a moderate Republican for decades, but the more Trump talks, and talks like this in particular, the less likely I am to vote for him or any Republican who supports him or enables him.
ReplyDeleteI just don't see anything cerebral with Flores. She spews the Republican party line word for word. Vote NO on Mayra!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty astute observation. I tend to agree that she's not said much original. Her solution for the border issue is what she gets from Trump. Rather empty gal, I'd add...
DeleteThere's a bit to like about Mayra Flores, but she is like an actress in the wrong film. She's Mexican acting the part of a white person and it's sad. My wish for more Hispanics in our national politics, especially these days, is tempered by the fact that I cannot roundly endorse her effort. It's a lie she is living...and offering...
DeleteSt. Stephen? He was stoned to death.
ReplyDeleteyes, he was.
DeleteSt. Stephen liked to raise hell.
DeleteI believe you're right. Mayra is nothing new. An opportunist is all she is, sir.
ReplyDeleteAn embarrassment is what she is. And no doubt down deep she knows it. But there's money in it, right, MAYRA?
DeleteHomeland Security head Mayorkas slams Texas Gov. Abbott for saying Biden should use executive authority on border. Says Abbott is out of control.
ReplyDeleteInconvenient news? maybe a few years ago, like 10 or 15. LOL
ReplyDelete