Republicans are throwing their weight behind trying to return former Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, to Congress, targeting the seat she lost in 2022 after becoming the first Mexican-born woman to be elected to the House.
Flores won a special election for an open seat in Texas' 34th congressional district in June 2022 after Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela Jr. resigned to take a job at a lobbying firm. But Flores lost in the general election in November to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez by more than 8 percentage points.
The National Republican Congressional Committee commissioned a poll that showed Flores' chances of taking back the seat greatly improved, the Washington Examiner reported Thursday. The NRCC wants Flores to run again, but she has not yet indicated her intentions.
The poll, conducted by 1892, surveyed 439 likely general election voters from May 24-26. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.67 percentage points. It shows Flores with a lead of 42.4%-41.7% over Gonzalez, with 15.8% undecided, and shows her with a wide lead among independents, 50.2%-30.8%, the Examiner reported.
"TX-34 is one of the top pick-up opportunities for Republicans in America," an NRCC memo stated. "Mayra Flores has already proven she can win, and new polling shows she remains popular."
The Texas Tribune reported Flores said in a statement she is "praying about [a 2024 campaign] with my family, friends, and supporters, and will make a decision soon."
"Conservatives in South Texas achieved historic gains in the 2022 election cycle, but there is still more work to do," Flores said. "These poll results are very encouraging, and I deeply appreciate the NRCC's belief in our movement."
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