By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
BROWNSVILLE, Texas |...They're subjective, yes, but looksees at who's in trouble come Election Day and who isn't always bring some possibilities. Congressional seats, those won for two-year terms at a time, are fair game when listing the good representatives and the bad.
FOX News, no attraction for Albert Einstein or the Mensa crowd, this past week listed six Democrats who may not be there in the next 2025 Congress.
District 34's Vicente Gonzalez was not on the list.
That may be a bad sign for his familiar opponent, Republican Mayra Flores. He beat her by 11,432 votes in 2022, but she's back on the warpath, tearing him apart at every political opportunity.
The six Democrats fingered by FOX News were: Jared Golden (Maine), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Matt Cartwright (Pennsylvania), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington state), Mary Peltola (Alaska) and Elissa Slotkin (Michigan). See photo at right below.
Noise from this campaign has been rather minimal. You can catch up with the Flores Camp on Facebook, where she posts regularly. There's nothing glaring in the way of a singular make-or-break issue she identifies as one that will whip Gonzalez in November.
Gonzalez is being Gonzalez, the calm politician who holds his tongue until he can't. He's the dude who labeled Mayra's supporters as being the equal of "Jews For Hitler" during the Nazi heyday. Is he worried this time around? You'd never know it by looking at his all-RGV face. Vicente Gonzalez knows being and acting cool is a clash for the feisty style offered by Mayra Flores - a Trump MAGA Republican, if her postings are any indication of which way the winds blow for her.
Flores lost the noisy 2022 fight against two-term Gonzalez rather convincingly, the final tally being 70,896 votes for him (52.7%) to 59,464 for her (44.2%). That's a hill-and-a-half to climb. Could Mayra do Mt. Kilimanjaro? Mt. St. Helens? This one is Everest for her.
But she remembers that race against Democrat Dan Sanchez in the summer of 2022, when she whipped him silly in that Special Election to fill what was then resigning Congressman Filemon Vela's seat. She took down and pinned the hardly energized Sanchez, 14,799 votes (50.9%) to 12,606 for Sanchez (43.4%).
Then Mayra (shown at left) was felled by Gonzalez in that year's mid-term elections.
Area pundits are giving steadfast Gonzalez the race once again, although I suspect that younger Flores has some newfangled angle to get at voters. The district is largely a Coastal Texas one, encompassing Eastern Hidalgo County, all of Cameron County and points due north from there.
With any luck, district voters will get a debate or two from these two...
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Chente con la gente!
ReplyDeleteEso!
DeleteHe's doing the job. Getting us federal money for valley cities. Like $1.1 million for Port of Brownsville recently. Why change horses?
DeleteYou're right. No scandal chases Vicente. Let's keep him!
DeleteMayra is no Vicente.
DeleteVicente is favored to win reelection. Easy, they say.
DeleteMAGA is fading and that's not good for Flores. JMHO
ReplyDeleteTrump's legal problems will hurt down-ballot Republicans. Much more than they think. He's just such a turn-off.
DeleteDJT supporters are dropping him faster than his pants in a department store. My poli science prof says he'll be toast by summer. Someone call Nikki Haley. ha ha ha
DeleteThere should be debates. And no one should be muted.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a test for Mayra. Vicente has been in Congress long enough to be vested.
DeleteI think Gonzalez would mop the floor with Mayra. He's a sharp dude, an attorney.
DeleteDonald Trump is crying about not being able to attend son Barron's high school grad. Let's be clear - the judge did NOT say "No". He said he would consider it, depending on how the trial progressed as they got closer to the date.
ReplyDeleteGraduations are usually held on weekends or in the evening so the most parents can attend.
According to Mary Trump, Donald did NOT attend the high school graduation ceremonies for Junior, Erik, Ivanka, or Tiffany. He is using Barron's as a manipulative tool to test his power with the judge.
I've lost faith in a judicial system that gives wealthy people like Trump, delay after delay, gives wealthy people like Trump, the ability to abuse a gag order without any real punishment. I've lost faith in a system that allows so many incompetent lawyers, like Habba, to appear before a judge or go on talk shows and lie with impunity, with no legal ramifications.
ReplyDeleteWhy would a former president, if found guilty, not be sent to prison? What is there about the US Justice system that it cannot imprison a former president?!
DeleteDo Trump’s supporters realize that he was indicted by JURIES, people from all walks of life who did their Civic and Patriotic duties. Now some on the right will say “They’re Democrats”, maybe DC and NY but how can they explain Florida and Georgia, deep red states.
ReplyDeleteMayra hasn't grown, from what I can see. Same Ol' Mayra. just being loud and chasing the Orange One. Our poor Valley does not need that.
ReplyDeleteAs a trial lawyer of over 30 years, I can attest to the fact that jurors hold the Judge in high esteem and parties/lawyers that show disrespect in the courtroom are usually punished for their behavior.
ReplyDeleteTreating the jury with disrespect, as if they are just hired servants, is not going to go over well with jurors, who are making major personal sacrifices to do their civic duty.
DeleteVote blue. And we are now seeing the contrast between the dumpster and a real president. Thank you, Joe Biden!!!
DeleteQuestion: Can all defendants throughout the United States intimidate witnesses? Or only Trump can do that.
DeleteWhen will the judge issue a order of protection for all potential witnesses?
Mayra, to me, is just playing games. She's a Democrat playing at Republican just because the GOP accepted as a candidate before the Democrats. I don't see her at Mar-a-Lago.
ReplyDeleteShe conveniently ignores the fact that she's in a MAGA party. They are not conservatives; they are racists and bigots who hate all Brown people. Fact.
DeleteShe has to make up 11,000 votes! I say that's not possible.
DeleteI love how Trump's base is whittling down to just the dumbest among us. They also happen to be the loudest, so they think they are the majority.
ReplyDeleteThe issue that will decide the elections:
ReplyDeleteAbortions are considered a constitutional right for woman in all of Mexico since last year.
Trump's first 9 to 5 job is already killing him.
ReplyDeleteYou said it.
DeleteHey, what happened to the border invasion!? Where are the 5000 people a day that Gov. Abbott is frightening everyone about. Will Mayra go down to the border and check for us. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI keep being asked: Why wouldn't he lose his rights to Secret Service security when he broke the law? Convicted of a Felony.
ReplyDeleteBecause he knows too many national security secrets. His security is for the USA, not for himself!
Wake me when Trump has been jailed! It’s exhausting to keep saying he “could be”, “should be”, “may be”; enough already and hold him to the same standards as the rest of us!
ReplyDeletePresident Biden recounting his family's brave service brought tears to my eyes.
DeleteTrump in Paris calling veterans suckers & losers was and is disgusting.
We here in America deserve another 4 years of good growth with Joe Biden. Vote Blue!
DeleteSince Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Jun 24, 2022. "Rapists" just get to walk around & pick who they want the mother of their children to be & it's practicality legal now & etc. Think about it.
ReplyDeleteI really don't believe that the election is going to be close. I think that the real conspiracy is the media and polling companies trying to drive voter turnout by pretending that Trump is tied with or leading Biden. Result = Biden supporters come out in droves and prevent another Trump disaster. Not super ethical, but effective.
ReplyDeleteActor John Leguizamo on Trump’s Latino support: "He doesn’t like us, and he doesn’t want us here"
ReplyDeleteTrump had no Hispanics in his administration. Not one on the Cabinet. That's a rarity in modern times. Even George W. Bush had Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General!
DeleteTrump only had one Black - Ben Carson in HUD, a dud position.
DeleteDavid Pecker is the star witness in this hush money case. He is the former CEO and owner of The National Enquirer who was deeply entangled in the Trump/Stormy Daniels affair story he knew but refused to publish to protect Trump. His testimony should be wild.
ReplyDeleteSenate rejects impeachment articles against Alejandro Mayorkas, ending trial against Biden Cabinet secretary. Witch hunt dead on arrival. Go rag on Abbott for not securing the Texas border.
ReplyDeleteThey already have 6 jurors approved in this hush money trial. This is going faster than anticipated.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that is one of the reasons he tried so hard to delay everything. Once the process starts, he can’t do anything to slow it.