(Seguin) — A Republican congressional candidate thinks that Guadalupe County will be a big part of the effort to put House majority back into the hands of the GOP.
Monica De La Cruz Hernandez, last year, lost a close race against incumbent Democratic Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. De La Cruz-Hernandez says that she came close to winning the Congressional District (CD) 15 seat, without much outside help. She says she’s running again, but this time, the race has garnered the attention of the national party and she thinks that could make a difference this time around.
“As you know, I ran in the 2020 election, and we came within razor thin margins of beating a third term incumbent. I’m very excited to tell you that because of our hard work in the 2020 election and remind you that in 2020, myself as a candidate and our campaign did not have any assistance from the national Republican Party or from the state Republican Party. Well, that’s different for the 2022 election. This time around, I have proudly received the endorsement of (Minority House) Leader Kevin McCarthy and (from) the National Border Patrol Council,” said De La Cruz-Hernandez.
De La Cruz-Hernandez says she believes her strong performance in 2020 made a difference in how people view this race nationally. That’s likely one of the reasons why the National Republican Congressional Committee and other GOP based groups believe they have a good chance to flip this seat.
“They have named CD 15, which includes Guadalupe County, as the top seat for the 2022 election and the Take Back the House campaign. What that means to you is that we are going to have an influx of support for our campaign and flipping this seat. The national Republican Party is so committed to this district and its success, that the RNC (Republican National Committee) has put a satellite office in McAllen, Texas just to help us with 2022 efforts. So, we are very excited about what’s happening,” said De La Cruz-Hernandez.
De La Cruz-Hernandez made her comments during Tuesday’s meeting of the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court. She spoke during the citizens to be heard portion of the meeting and encouraged the court and the community to attend a meet and greet event she was having Tuesday evening at The Backyard venue, located in Seguin.
De La Cruz-Hernandez came within three percentage points of Congressman Gonzalez, losing by just under 6,600 votes. She is seeking the Republican nomination in the spring of next year and hopes to advance to the November 2022 general election to face the Democratic nominee, who is presumably Congressman Gonzalez if he does indeed seek reelection.