The First Signs of the 2022 Red Wave: Mayra Flores

Many political analysts wondered just how big the 2022 Red Wave would be, we might know now. The first signs of the 2022 Red Wave are in, that being with the win of Mayra Flores in a special election in Texas’s 34th congressional district. This is not just an ordinary congressional race, but a race that shows the growing support of Latinos towards the GOP and what that support can mean in the 2022 midterm elections, which will decide the fate of the remainder of the Biden Administration. So, what’s the big fuss about this race? Here, I explain.

Overview of the race:

Flores was able to best a field of four candidates, two of which were Republicans and another two Democrats in this all-party contest to define who will succeed Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela, who left his duties in March when joining a lobbying firm in Washington. Flores will be up for election for a full term in November against incumbent Representative Vicente Gonzales, who is shifting districts to the 34th.

Nevertheless, even if Flores in fact loses to Gonzales come November, her win is still a remarkable one. For the first time in 150 years, TX-34 has “gone Red.” Flores garnered 51% of the vote, whilst her closest opponent fell short at 43%. The district voted Biden +13 in the 2020 presidential election and is 84% Hispanic. This is a historic win for the Republican party, whose outreach continues to sway Latino voters. Mayra herself is Latina; she is Mexican-born (in the state of Tamaulipas) and immigrated to the U.S. when she was six. Flores has repeatedly emphasized her "pro-life," "pro-God," "pro-family" stance, and that worked. Michael McAdams, a political reported, claimed that the south Texas win was a "political earthquake." With funding from the National Republican Congressional Committee, Flores shocked the U.S. with her win. Mayra will also be the first Mexican-born woman to serve in the United States Congress. Overall, the race is a landmark achievement for women, Latinos, and the GOP. Now many wonder how many of these "shocks" will come in November.

What the race shows:

The race is a clear indicator of what the 2022 midterms will bring about. With the economy in a poor position and Biden’s approval ratings at an all-time low (40% as of June 15, as reported by FiveThirtyEight), the Republican party is expected to rally big wins in November, and this attests to that. In a Democratic, Hispanic district that hadn’t elected a Republican candidate in centuries, Mayra Flores was. This was not supposed to be a toss-up district, the Republicans made it one. This was not supposed to be a GOP victory, yet the GOP won. The Biden Administration and the DNC should be concerned: their establishment may be decaying, and their chances of maintaining a majority in the House/Senate are decaying with it. Even Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, was swayed to vote Republican for the first time.

The 2022 Red Wave:

The wave is coming, it’s inevitable. It happens every midterm election, but the one this year might be much larger than the ones before. A recent Gallup poll found that a mere 14% of Americans had a positive view of current economic conditions, and 46% rate the economy “negatively.” Those numbers are not normal. For midterm years, they are 10 points below average.

So come November, more of these Mayra Flores GOP victories will surely be replicated at the state and federal levels. Mayra is just the beginning of what is to come for the Republican party these midterms. Should the DNC be worried? Yes.