Democrats eye South Texas congressional district as seat to flip in 2026

WASHINGTON - Democrats in Washington are setting their sights on U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz as a target for next year’s midterm elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is once again eyeing Texas’ 15th Congressional District after failing to flip the district in the 2024 election.

Monica De La Cruz

De La Cruz was in the Democrats' crosshairs in 2024, with the party believing it was a seat it could return to Democratic control.

De La Cruz first won election in the district in 2022. She defeated Michelle Vallejo in 2022 and again in 2024.

The district had elected a Democrat in every election since 1902 until district lines were redrawn and Rep. Vincente Gonzalez was redistricted into the 34th Congressional District. Gonzalez won reelection over De La Cruz in 2020 prior to redistricting.

What they're saying:

"Monica De La Cruz is running scared, and she should be. From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, she’s broken her promises to Texans, and it’s going to cost her her seat," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said. "The DCCC is already working to recruit authentic and battle-ready candidates in Texas who reflect this community and will work to better Texans’ lives, not line her D.C. party bosses’ pockets."

2024 elections

Just days after the 2024 elections, longtime party chair Gilberto Hinojosa resigned from the position, saying voters sent "a clear message" to Texas Democrats.

Democrats in Texas were unsuccessful in their attempt to oust Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate and in their efforts to gain ground in the U.S. House of Representatives.

De La Cruz won reelection by a wider margin over Vallejo in 2024 compared to 2022.

At the state level, Democrats lost two seats in the Texas House and one in the Senate.

Most glaringly in the state, however, counties along the southern border that Joe Biden won in 2020 flipped to Donald Trump this year. The topic of border security was a major issue that voters in south Texas were passionate about.

The state also saw a shift in Latino voters, who broke with Democrats on issues like the economy.

President Donald Trump gained ground in major counties across the state and won counties that he lost in 2020.

2026 Elections

What's next:

The 2026 elections will be important in Texas.

In addition to voting for US Senate, Texans will have an opportunity to vote for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, among several other positions.

Primary elections will be held in March with runoff elections in May.

Districts in Play

Each election cycle, national Democrats identify Republican-held districts they believe they can win and choose those to focus their fundraising efforts on.

For the 2026 midterm elections, they've chosen 35 seats to target. De La Cruz is the only Texas representative targeted.

The others are:

Alaska

• Nick Begich

Arizona

• David Schweikert
• Eli Crane
• Juan Ciscomani

California

• David Valadao
• Young Kim
• Ken Calvert

Colorado

• Gabe Evans

Florida

• Cory Mills
• Anna Paulina Luna
• Maria Elvira Salazar

Iowa

• Mariannette Miller-Meeks
• Ashley Hinson
• Zach Nunn

Kentucky

• Andy Barr

Michigan

• Bill Huizenga
• Tom Barrett
• OPEN

Missouri

• Ann Wagner

Nebraska

• Don Bacon

New Jersey

• Tom Kean Jr.

New York

• Mike Lawler

Ohio

• Max Miller
• Mike Turner
• Mike Carey

Pennsylvania

• Brian Fitzpatrick
• Ryan Mackenzie
• Rob Bresnahan
• Scott Perry

Tennessee

• Andy Ogles

Texas

• Monica De La Cruz

Virginia

• Rob Wittman
• Jen Kiggans

Wisconsin

• Bryan Steil
• Derrick Van Orden

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