Congresswoman-Elect, U.S. House, Texas' 15th District
By Debra Taylor, Pennsylvania
Monica De La Cruz grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, and comes from simple beginnings. Her grandmother immigrated to the United States as a child fleeing political injustice in Mexico. Monica’s grandfather was a first-generation American who served in the US Navy during WWII. Monica’s mother, Norma, was a single mom raising her and her brother. Monica said her mother always told them, “We are blessed to live on this side of the river because in America you can do anything.”
“Our mother taught us to work hard, give back to our community and make a difference,” Monica added. That’s why Monica is running for the 15th congressional district of Texas.
Monica is one of several Latina Republican women running for Congress in Texas congressional districts. Media sources report these women are part of what is being called “a triple threat to the Democrat Party” with efforts underway to redden the three congressional districts covering Texas’s southern-most point.
Fox News Channel recently aired a report featuring four Latina Republican women who won primaries this election season. According to FNC's Kayleigh McEnany, this highlights the growing trend of Hispanic voters shifting to the GOP which poses a real problem for Democrats heading into the midterms. "We are calling them ‘The Quad,’ not ‘The Squad,'" McEnany said.
Monica attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she worked and took out student loans to put herself through college. After graduation, Monica felt it was important to learn more about her roots. She applied for a Spanish language studies program and attended La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Following this experience abroad, Monica applied for an internship with Turner Entertainment and was selected out of 300 applicants. She went to work with TNT and Cartoon Network Latin America in Atlanta.
Returning to the Rio Grande Valley, Monica started a family and opened her own business. She found immediate success, becoming the first new female agent in the Rio Grande Valley to earn the prestigious President’s Club award, an honor bestowed on the top 50 agents in the country.
Monica lives in Edinburg with her children. She is a member of the Guadalupe County Republican Women and has been named a Young Gun by the National Republican Congressional Committee. Learn more about her campaign at https://www.monicaforcongress.us/.