Three candidates are running in the general election for Texas’ 15th Congressional District on November 5

Incumbent Monica De La Cruz (R), Michelle Vallejo (D), and Arthur DiBianca (L) are running in the general election for Texas’ 15th Congressional District on November 5, 2024.

De La Cruz was first elected to the district in 2022 when she defeated Vallejo 53.3% to 44.8%. She previously ran for the seat in 2020 when then-incumbent Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D) defeated her 50.5% to 47.6%. De La Cruz is the first Republican to represent the district since its establishment.

Leading up to the election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced it would support Vallejo as part of its Red to Blue program that backs challengers to Republican incumbents. According to The Texas Tribune, “The DCCC decision is a shift from last cycle, when national Democratic groups opted to prioritize protecting incumbents in the neighboring 34th and 28th districts. That left little support for Vallejo, to the deep chagrin of local Democrats.”

Following the March primaries, De La Cruz said that she has represented the district in a bipartisan way, saying, “This past year I have had the honor of being a voice for all South Texans.” In an opinion article for Newsweek, she also said that Latino voters in the district have favored Republican candidates in recent elections. De La Cruz said that Republican policies have aligned with Latino values, saying, “With the Democrats in disarray, Republicans stand on the brink of making unparalleled gains with Latinos. Now is the time to establish a multi-ethnic working-class coalition.”

De La Cruz ran multiple small businesses and owned an insurance agency before she was elected in 2022. De La Cruz says she believes “the Biden Administration undid President Trump’s successful border policies on the first day of its administration and has left the border wide open.” De La Cruz says she would protect farmers from damages caused by illegal immigration and would support the Texas agriculture industry by eliminating regulations and tariffs. De La Cruz also says she wants America to become independent in its energy usage and that she would promote oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy jobs.

Vallejo is the co-owner of a local market. Vallejo says she believes abortion should be a right and that abortion restrictions in Texas limit freedom, saying, “What we’re facing in Texas is that fight where women and families are being pushed out of the state, forced to leave to get lifesaving care.” She says the current healthcare system “leaves many South Texans uninsured, underinsured, and one trip to the hospital away from bankruptcy” and that she supports expanding Medicaid and making healthcare cheaper. Vallejo says she would work to lower the cost of living for the district by creating more manufacturing and energy jobs, enforcing corporate taxes, and raising the minimum wage.

The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House in 2025.

All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 218 to 213 majority with four vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 48.1% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 51.0%.