Following President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the 2024 presidential election, the soon-to-be 47th president had a notable performance among demographics thought to be out of reach for the GOP. According to the data, Trump managed to flip the Texas Democratic stronghold of the Rio Grande Valley red in his win over Kamala Harris.
Notably, the region had supported former Senate candidate “Beto” O’Rourke over Ted Cruz by a substantial margin. “In a historically drastic political shift, Trump won all the Valley counties, each of which had gone for O’Rourke by low-to-mid double digits two years prior (in a generally bad year for Texas Dems) and for Clinton by between 33 and 60 points in 2016,” according to the Texas Observer.
Others commented on how historic this Trump victory is for the Republican Party. “President Donald Trump wins in both Hidalgo and Cameron County. A clear shift that the Rio Grande Valley is no longer blue, as it has been historically for decades. Republicans also won almost every election in South Texas Races,” Evening News anchor Sydney Hernandez wrote.
Trump beat out Harris by three points in Hidalgo County which, for perspective, Hillary Clinton won by 40 points in 2016 and Biden by 17 points in 2020. Moreover, Trump won Cameron County by 6 points, which Clinton won by 33 points in 2016 and Biden by 13 in 2020. Zooming out, Trump took a significant chunk of the Latino, 45 percent, representing a 13-point increase 2020. As NBC News put it, “Latino voters took a big right turn in an election dominated by voter outrage over the high cost of food and housing, helping Donald Trump secure a second term in the White House.”
“Vice President Kamala Harris finished with a slim majority of support from Hispanic voters, at 53%, while Trump vacuumed up about 45% of the vote, a 13-point increase from 2020 and a record high for a Republican presidential nominee, according to NBC News exit polls,” the outlet continued.
The American Tribune also reported on Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s resounding victory against Democratic challenger Collin Allred. Cruz commanded 53 percent of the vote, whereas Allred lagged behind with over 44 percent. The decisive triumph affirms the Republican movement in the Lone Star State to “Keep Texas Texas” amid the influx of out-of-state liberals over the past few years.
“Ted Cruz won again despite liberals from California and New York doing everything they could to bankroll his radical opponent,” according to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who highlighted the formidable challenge from Democrats around the nation, pouring resources into Texas. “No matter what gets thrown at him, Ted knows Texas and knows what it takes to win.”
Cruz commented on his win, calling out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who will hand over the power balance to the GOP. “The results tonight, this decisive victory, should shake the Democrat establishment to its core,” he said. “I want to say thank you, Chuck.” Cruz continued, “This race in Texas is a very real battle. Chuck Schumer has been explicit that I’m his number one target in the country. And the Democrats, Schumer, and George Soros are flooding more than $100 million into the state of Texas,” Cruz said. “They are saturating the airwaves with attack ads, and it’s dangerous.”
Watch a heartwarming moment where Trump brought his family on stage:
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