Vicente Gonzalez compares Latino Trump supporters to “Jews for Hitler”
The South Texas Democrat said Latinos who support former President Donald Trump are voting against their self interest, but Republicans recoiled at the comparison. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, at his election night watch party in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Republicans flood South Texas special election as national Democrats keep distance
The GOP is spending big to capture an open congressional seat in South Texas — if only for a few months — as they try to create momentum toward a November election where they are newly targeting the region. Full Story
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![Mayra Flores stands outside of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen on Oct. 16, 2021. Flores used to vote Democratically until 2010 and has been involved in politics since 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Democrats are in danger of losing three congressional strongholds in South Texas
The seats in question are held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen. A third vacant seat recently belonged to Filemon Vela of Brownsville, who stepped down to take a private sector lobbying job. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, and former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Two Democrats, two Republicans will compete in special election for South Texas congressional seat that GOP wants to flip
The winner of the special election will replace former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, who resigned last month to work for Akin Gump. Full Story
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![Charros, which are Mexican horseman, ride horses in downtown Brownsville as a part of the Charro Days Grand International Parade on Feb. 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott calls June 14 special election for South Texas congressional seat that Republicans want to flip
The race will determine who finishes the term of former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.
Vela, D-Brownsville, has represented Texas’ Congressional District 34 since 2013. In the 114th Congress, he sat on the House Agriculture and Homeland Security committees and served as co-chairman of the Congressional Border Caucus.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela steps down, setting up a heated battle for his South Texas district
Vela’s resignation is effective at 11:59 p.m. Thursday in a move he said was coming. Gov. Greg Abbott can now call a special election to fill his unfinished term. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela Jr., D-Brownsville, speaks to the media during his visit to Casa Presidente, an unaccompanied minor shelter in Brownsville, on June 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela’s resignation announcement sparks a sudden special-election scramble in hotly contested South Texas
A special election will determine who finishes Vela’s term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela will resign early from Congress
The South Texas Democrat announced last year that he wouldn’t seek reelection. He’s leaving early to take a job at a law firm. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, attends a roundtable discussion on unaccompanied minor shelters in Brownsville on June 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare -
Former ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza decides to run for attorney general after redistricting upends congressional campaign
Garza, a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, had been running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville. U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, is now running for Vela's seat after redistricting made Gonzalez's seat more competitive for Republicans. Full Story
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![ACLU lawyer Rochelle Garza has announced she will be running for Texas Attorney General.]()
Credit: Rochelle Garza Campaign -
Texas Senate approves congressional map that draws no new Black or Hispanic districts even as people of color fueled population growth
Texas gained two new seats in Congress based on population growth fueled by people of color. But the Senate’s proposal provides no new majority-Black or majority-Hispanic districts to reflect that growth. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
South Texas was already a political battleground. New maps could alter game plans.
With proposed maps out, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, says he might switch to a neighboring district where U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is retiring. The initial maps are also sure to impact decisions in regional legislative races. Full Story
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![A neighborhood surrounding downtown Rio Grande City on Nov. 11, 2020]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, whose seat is targeted by Republicans in 2022, says he will not seek reelection
Vela was first elected in 2012 and represents much of the South Texas Gulf Coast. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.
Vela, D-Brownsville, has represented Texas’ Congressional District 34 since 2013. In the 114th Congress, he sat on the House Agriculture and Homeland Security committees and served as co-chairman of the Congressional Border Caucus.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
National Republicans say they'll target five U.S. House seats held by Texas Democrats in 2022
The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Wednesday that its initial list of targets includes three representatives from South Texas: Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen and Filemon Vela of Brownsville. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol. Democratic members of the House prepare articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts -
Texas Congressional Democrats urge Gov. Greg Abbott to let Planned Parenthood stay on Medicaid
Their plea comes just days after a state district judge temporarily stopped the state from excluding Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, a government health insurance program for the poor. A hearing is scheduled for later this month. Full Story
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![Information and diagrams inside a medical room at a Planned Parenthood in south Austin on Jan. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Some Texans in Congress vote through proxies for the first time in American history
Republicans have fought the allowance of proxy voting tooth and nail. They argue that such a move upends the Constitution, and they promise a protracted legal fight. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol looms in the background as a woman walks among flags at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. on May 27, 2020.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
U.S. Rep Filemon Vela gains reputation in DC as an outspoken lawmaker
Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela called a fellow Texan in Congress a "chicken-shit" in what became his latest clash with another politician. Full Story
![Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith moderates a discussion with U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.
Vela, D-Brownsville, has represented Texas’ Congressional District 34 since 2013. In the 114th Congress, he sat on the House Agriculture and Homeland Security committees and served as co-chairman of the Congressional Border Caucus.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
In fight over agriculture funding, U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela calls GOP Texan "a racist Christian pretender"
Vela, a Brownsville Democrat, was firing back after U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland, accused Democrats of attempting to "score political points on the back of rural America." Full Story
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![From left, U.S Rep. Mike Conaway, R-TX, and U.S Rep. Filomen Vela, D-TX.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera and Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
"They should respect our opinions": U.S. reps along the Texas-Mexico border serve as ambassadors for their homes
With the focus of Washington on the border, five Texas members of Congress have served as guides for their colleagues and advocates for their constituents. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is one of the keynote speakers at "Standing Against Fear" hosted by El Paso Interreligious Sponsoring Organization (EPISO)/ Border Interfaith, on Thursday, Aug. 8, at St. Paul's Catholic Church in El Paso. The gathering was intended to help attendees "grieve and rebuild the bonds of trust to overcome fear and hate."]()
Credit: Briana Sanchez/El Paso Times/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela signs letter opposing Nancy Pelosi as House speaker
The Texan joined 15 other members and members-elect in signing the letter, which has complicated Pelosi's bid to return as House speaker. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, and Nancy Pelosi, D-California.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles: Vela/Erich Schlegel: Pelosi -
Pelosi's fate up in the air as band of Democrats – including a Texan – push for new speaker
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela of Brownsville is one of more than a dozen Democrats who claim they have the votes to deprive Nancy Pelosi of another term as House Speaker. They might be right. Full Story
![U.S. Reps. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, and Nancy Pelosi, D-California.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles: Vela/Erich Schlegel: Pelosi