Texas Republicans Lost Latino Support in Election Setback
- Abbott’s support among Latinos fell from four years earlier
- Despite GOP push, red wave along the border fizzled out
Candidates Monica De La Cruz, left, and Mayra Flores, right, attend a campaign event in McAllen, Texas on Oct. 10.
Photographer: Allison Dinner/AFP/Getty ImagesTexas Republicans’ success in winning over Latinos seemed to stall this election cycle, with the GOP losing two of three US Congressional seats in heavily-Hispanic South Texas and Governor Greg Abbott seeing a drop in support among the fast-growing demographic.
While the party continues to dominate Texas politics -- winning all seven statewide contests by wide margins -- Abbott got just 40% of Latino votes, down from 42% four years ago and compared with two-thirds support among Whites, according to a CNN exit poll. In US Congressional races in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas, Democrats Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar won their races handily, with Monica de la Cruz the region’s only Republican victor.