Texas 35th Congressional District Candidates

The race for Texas’ 35th Congressional District is heating up with the endorsement of President Donald Trump for the Republican candidates. One of these candidates, Carlos de la Cruz, recently triumphed over long-standing state representative John Lujan in the primary.

De la Cruz, who is an Air Force veteran, is the younger brother of Rep. Monica de la Cruz (R-Texas), a supportive ally of Trump from a neighboring district. It’s interesting to note that if he wins, he could join a very rare group of brothers who’ve served together in Congress—something not seen often in history.

Back in the 1780s and 90s, Pennsylvania’s first Speaker of the House, Frederick Muhlenberg, and his brother John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg were among the first siblings to hold office together.

Interestingly, there have been other sibling pairs in Congress, like the Washburn brothers in the 1850s and 1860s, as well as Loretta and Linda Sanchez, who served together in the early 2000s.

In this current scenario, de la Cruz and Lujan are competing in newly drawn districts that were previously under the representation of “Squad” member Rep. Gregorio Casar. Notably, Casar has decided to run in a different district after a fellow Democrat, Lloyd Doggett, opted out of the race, making way for changes following Texas’ recent redistricting.

The newly shaped district now stretches down to San Antonio and appears to lean more in favor of Trump than previous elections did. In their earlier primary contest, Lujan edged out de la Cruz, receiving 33% to de la Cruz’s 27%, positioning de la Cruz for a comeback in the runoff on Tuesday.

De la Cruz’s experience includes deployments both to the Middle East and along the Mexican border, and he has the backing of his sister, among other Republican supporters.

On the Democratic side, however, the focus has shifted amid some controversy. Maureen Galindo, a primary candidate, faced national backlash for suggesting the use of ICE detention centers in her district, rather than jailing affluent individuals she referred to as “Zionists.” This comment drew criticism from various Democratic leaders, including far-left figures and party leaders from New York.

Despite the challenges, Democrats remain optimistic about winning this Hispanic-majority seat which has shown some pro-Trump sentiments heading into the November elections.