Candidate posters on the Brownsville campus Emilio Suarez / Vaquero Radio
Valley voters in both District 15 and 34 made their decision last Tuesday for the candidates they want to see in the November general elections.
Democratic representative Bobby Pulido and Republican Incumbent Monica de la Cruz won their respective races and will be vying for the District 15 congressional office in November.
District 34 Democratic incumbent Vicente Gonzalez and Republican representative Eric Flores will face off against each other in the general election.
UTRGV Political Science Professor Bryant Sculos said it was interesting to see how Mayra Flores has been running many times and lost the elections.
“What’s interesting is that Mayra Flores is very, very conservative and has always been a big supporter of President Trump, and he endorsed Eric Flores,” Sculos said. “President Trump says it himself: He likes people who win.”
He said it will be difficult for Democrats to win back District 15 due to the redistricting gerrymandering.
“District 15 was gerrymandered to make it more conservative, but it’s still very purple right,” Sculos said. “There is still a strong mix of democrats and republicans in District 15.”
He said Pulido’s background and popularity influenced the outcome in that primary race.
“She’s [Ada Cuellar] a doctor,” Sculos said. “He’s a famous, at least locally famous musician. I would guess given our society, he probably has more personal wealth than she does.”
The political science professor said gerrymandering could have a huge effect on the general elections.
“The results will be about which political party can motivate their voters and which voters feel compelled to come out and support certain candidates,” Sculos said.
Political science senior Maya Rodriguez said she believes the elected candidates should focus on safety border policy.
International business sophomore Luis Castillo said the primary election results were predictable.
Castillo mentioned the issues the representatives should talk about.
“I think student issues like college costs and jobs after graduation, should be talked about more,” he said.
The midterm elections will take place Nov.3, 2026.
