House GOP leaders are rallying behind former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) as she makes her congressional comeback bid, with a unified endorsement from all of House GOP leadership on the day she launched her campaign.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and House GOP conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik all endorsed Flores on Tuesday in statements provided exclusively to Breitbart News ahead of their public release.
“Mayra Flores made history in 2022 when she became the first Mexican-born woman ever elected to the United States Congress,” McCarthy said. “I witnessed firsthand how she hit the ground running when she was elected, serving the people of South Texas with dedication and integrity as a valuable member of the House Republican Conference. I am thrilled that Mayra is running again for this seat, and am proud to fully endorse her candidacy.”
Scalise, in his statement, also fully endorsed Flores. “We need Mayra Flores’ leadership back in Congress,” Scalise said. “A legal immigrant, border patrol wife, and mother, Mayra understands what it’s like to live the American Dream and is committed to advocating for policies that advance opportunity for all Americans. I look forward to serving alongside Mayra once again and am committed to fully supporting her campaign.
Emmer said he thinks Flores’ message resonates in the South Texas district in which she is running.
“Mayra Flores earned an incredible victory in 2022, but there is more work to be done in South Texas,” Emmer said. “I have no doubt that Mayra will be successful this cycle as she builds on her message of God, Family, and Country that resonated so strongly in her community. I strongly endorse Mayra and look forward to partnering closely with her in this race.
Stefanik, meanwhile, touted Flores’ policy chops.
“Mayra Flores is a rock solid conservative, and an inspiration to all Americans, who will put America first and fight every day for border security, Constitutional rights, economic opportunity, and educational freedom,” Stefanik said. “I am so excited that Mayra is running to flip this district and help lead our fight to Save America. I will be with her every step of the way.”
Flores, in her own statement, thanked the GOP leaders for their support and put her focus on winning in 2024.
“It’s a great honor to have such strong early support from Speaker McCarthy, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and Conference Chair Stefanik,” Flores said. “They are strong conservative leaders who do an amazing job leading House Republicans, and I couldn’t be more excited by the prospect of working alongside them again to deliver results for South Texas.”
Flores won a special election in South Texas in the spring of 2022, but lost in November when Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) moved from a different district into hers to challenge her. The special election district in which she won was under the old lines before redistricting, but the November race was under the newly redistricted lines—which were more favorable to Democrats. Despite Gonzalez holding on in November 2022, new polling that Republicans have released shows Flores and Gonzalez neck-and-neck at the outset of the 2024 race.
Flores announced on Tuesday she is running again in 2024.
