Summary
Current:US Representative of TX District 15 since 2023
Affiliation: Republican
District: includes a thin section of the far south of the state of Texas.
Next Election:
History: De La Cruz is the first Republican and woman to represent Texas’s 15th congressional district since its creation in 1903.
De La Cruz graduated from James Pace Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, and the University of Texas at San Antonio, studying marketing. She interned for Turner Entertainment before working for Cartoon Network Latin America. Before being elected to the U.S. Congress, she was an insurance agent and business owner
OnAir Post: Monica De La Cruz TX-15
News
About
Source: Government Page
Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz is the first Latina and first Republican to represent the 15th Congressional District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. In Congress, Monica is fighting to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation of Texans. She is a champion for border security, an economy that works for American families, and improving healthcare access for South Texans.
Monica’s story is one of perseverance, determination, and the power of faith. The granddaughter of a Mexican farmworker, Monica was raised by her single mother, Norma, in Brownsville. She grew up with a strong commitment to public service, exemplified by her decades of community service. Monica attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. After graduation, Monica enrolled at La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México to study Spanish.
For over 20 years, Monica led several successful small businesses in her community, including an insurance agency, which she ran until her election to Congress in 2022. A proud alumna of James Pace High School, Monica is also an active member of her local church. She lives in Edinburg, Texas with her two children.
Personal
Full Name: Monica De La Cruz
Gender: Female
Family: Single; 2 Children
Home City: Edinburg, TX
Religion: Christian
Source: Vote Smart
Education
Attended, Spanish Language Studies, La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
BBA, Marketing, University of Texas at San Antonio, 1997
Political Experience
Representative, United States House of Representatives, Texas, District 15, 2023-present
Candidate, United States House of Representatives, Texas, District 15, 2024
Professional Experience
Former Employee, Cartoon Network Latin America
Former Intern, Turner Entertainment
Agent, State Farm Insurance, 2002-2023
Co-Founder, Navi Business Group, 2016
Offices
Washington, D.C. Office
1415 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-9901
M—F, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. ET
McAllen District Office
Commerce Center West Building
1400 N McColl Rd Ste 103
McAllen, TX 78504
(956) 800-6069
M—F, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CT
Seguin District Office
Guadalupe County Justice Center
211 W Court St
Seguin, TX 78155
(830) 463-0800
M—F, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CT
Contact
Email: Government
Web Links
Politics
Source: none
Finances
Source: Vote Smart
Committees
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New Legislation
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Issues
Source: Government page
More Information
Services
Source: Government page
District
Source: Wikipedia
Texas’s 15th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes a thin section of the far south of the state of Texas. The district’s current Representative is Republican Monica De La Cruz. Elected in 2022, de la Cruz is the first Republican and woman to represent the district.
Currently, the 15th Congressional District composes of a narrow strip of land running from western Hidalgo County in the Rio Grande Valley northwards to eastern Guadalupe County, to the east of San Antonio. The district includes the entirety of Brooks, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Karnes, and Wilson counties between Hidalgo and Guadalupe counties.
The district has generally given its congressmen very long tenures in Washington; only eight people, seven Democrats and one Republican, have ever represented it. The district’s best-known Representative was John Nance Garner, who represented the district from its creation in 1903 until 1933, and was Speaker of the House from 1931 to 1933. He ran with Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 and 1936 presidential campaigns, and was elected Vice President of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1941. The district was one of the first Latino-majority districts in the country, and has been represented by Latino congressmen since 1965.
Notably, this district narrowly voted more Republican in the House elections than the nation as a whole in 2020. Vincente Gonzalez won by 2.9 points while Democrats won the national vote by a combined 3.1 percentage points. It also voted more Republican than the national average while voting Democratic in the 2020 United States presidential election, and the difference between the national vote and the result was wider in the presidential election than the House. Due to redistricting, incumbent Gonzalez in the 2022 election ran in the 34th congressional district. The Republican nominee, former insurance agent Monica de la Cruz defeated the Democratic nominee, businesswoman Michelle Vallejo.
Wikipedia
Monica De La Cruz (born November 11, 1974)[1] is an American politician and insurance agent from the state of Texas. She has represented Texas’s 15th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. De La Cruz is the first Republican and first woman to represent Texas’s 15th congressional district since its creation in 1903.[2][3]
Early life and career
De La Cruz graduated from James Pace Early College High School in Brownsville, Texas, and the University of Texas at San Antonio, studying marketing.[4] She later attended the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, studying Spanish. She interned for Turner Entertainment before working for Cartoon Network Latin America.[5] Before being elected to the U.S. Congress, she was an insurance agent and business owner. De La Cruz resides in the Rio Grande Valley, where she grew up.[6][7]
U.S House of Representatives
Elections
2020
In 2020, De La Cruz ran in Texas’s 15th congressional district, and lost to incumbent Democrat Vicente Gonzalez by three percentage points.[8]
2022
Endorsed by Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, De La Cruz ran again in the 15th district in 2022, while Gonzalez was redistricted to Texas’s 34th congressional district. De La Cruz defeated Democratic nominee Michelle Vallejo in the general election, earning 80,869 votes to Vallejo’s 67,913.[9][10][11][7][12] When she took office in 2023, she became only the eighth person to represent this district since its creation in 1903, and the first Republican. By a matter of a few months, she was the second Republican elected from a Rio Grande Valley in over a century; the first, Mayra Flores, was elected to a partial term in a neighboring district in 2022. De la Cruz is the first Republican elected to a full term in this area in modern times.
Tenure
In March 2024, De La Cruz delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address in Spanish.[13]
Caucus memberships
Committee assignment
Political positions
De La Cruz voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[16][17]
Personal life
De La Cruz has been married and divorced twice and has two children. De La Cruz’s split from her second husband in 2021, Juan Gabriel Hernandez, resulted in an acrimonious divorce.[18][19] De La Cruz is an Episcopalian.[20]
See also
References
- ^ “Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) Research Report” (PDF). October 2021.
- ^ Herrera, Jack. Monica De La Cruz Defeats Michelle Vallejo, Flipping a South Texas Seat for the GOP, Texas Monthly, November 8, 2022.
- ^ Gonzalez, Valerie. Calculated move: Texas Republicans drew District 15 to fit their needs, MyRGV, November 12, 2022.
- ^ “Incoming Rep. Monica De La Cruz – R Texas, 15th, Member-elect – Biography | LegiStorm”. www.legistorm.com. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ “Vote Smart | Facts For All”. Vote Smart.
- ^ “Monica De La Cruz wins Republican primary in more competitive Texas district- AP”. Reuters. March 2, 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ a b “Texas Republicans hope to send their first Latina to Congress”. NBC News. March 9, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Steve (June 5, 2022). “De La Cruz: I do not care which Democrat I face in CD 15 general election”. Rio Grande Guardian.
- ^ Choi, Matthew (August 24, 2022). “In Texas’ most competitive congressional race, neither candidate is running toward the center”. The Texas Tribune.
- ^ Recio, Maria. “Latina candidates reshaping South Texas politics in 3 key congressional races”. Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ Gamboa, Suzanne (October 22, 2022). “South Texas Democrats push back as Latina Republicans close in”. www.nbcnews.com.
- ^ Neukam, Matthew Choi and Stephen (November 9, 2022). “Monica De La Cruz becomes first Republican to win in 15th Congressional District in South Texas”. The Texas Tribune.
- ^ Wermund, Benjamin. “Rep. Monica De La Cruz to deliver GOP’s Spanish-language response to State of the Union”.
- ^ “Candidates”. RMSP PAC. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ “Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy”. Financial Services Committee. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). “House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). “Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session”. Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Scherer, Michael (November 9, 2021). “Top GOP congressional candidate in Texas accused of abusing teenage daughter of estranged husband”. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ Scherer, Michael (January 12, 2022). “GOP House candidate Monica De La Cruz will be allowed to return to her Texas home in April amid legal fight with her estranged husband”. Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- ^ “Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023.
External links
- Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz official U.S. House website
- Monica De La Cruz for Congress campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
