Vicente Gonzalez and Mayra Flores clash in fiery South Texas congressional debate

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McALLEN — U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez and former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores clashed over their handling of the economy, immigration and reproductive rights during a televised debate Thursday night that drew fiery exchanges from both candidates over their voting records.

The two candidates are locked in a bitter race to represent Texas Congressional District 34 in South Texas. The race in the Rio Grande Valley is considered one of the only competitive congressional races in Texas and a top priority for both major national political parties.

During the one-hour debate hosted by CBS4 and NBC23, Gonzalez did his best to remind viewers how much federal money he's brought to South Texas while Flores urged residents to vote with their pocketbook — which is still hurting, she said.

On the economy, Flores blamed the Biden administration's foreign spending for the country's economic woes and advocated for a return to Trump-era policies. Gonzalez said he would target corporate price gouging to bring down costs for consumers.

Despite the repeated jabs, there were a few instances of agreement. Both candidates said the minimum wage should be raised. Gonzalez said he wanted it to be $15 per hour. Flores worried that number might be too much for small business to afford.

On immigration, Gonzalez reiterated his support of creating "safe zones" in Central American countries where asylum seekers could process their applications without traveling to the U.S. border. Gonzalez also said he favored permanently enforcing Biden's asylum policy that bars asylum seekers between ports of entry when they exceed a certain level.

Flores accused Democrats of using immigration as a political issue to court Hispanic voters and called for more support for U.S. Border Patrol agents.

Gonzalez challenged Flores to name specific policies she supported to which Flores said the border was at its most secure under former President Donald Trump.

The candidates had another contentious exchange on reproductive rights.

While both said they would not support a federal abortion ban, Gonzalez criticized Flores for co-sponsoring H.R. 1011, also known as the Life at Conception Act. The bill, which did not pass, defined a human being to include all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, or cloning with no exceptions for in vitro fertilization.

"It's a national abortion ban. You need to read your own bills," Gonzalez said.

"You don't know what a woman is," Flores said, referring to Gonzalez’s support of transgender rights, an attack Republicans have used across the U.S. this fall. "Yes, I believe in life at conception, that is something that I personally believe in, but I respect the views of others."

Though the race is a rematch between the two candidates, Thursday night's debate was the first time they have directly faced off against one another and will likely be the only time they do so during this election cycle.

Flores, 38, briefly represented the district after winning a special election in June 2022. Gonzalez, 57, who served three terms representing neighboring District 15, ran for District 34 in the November 2022 general election after Texas lawmakers redrew the district lines to make District 15 more competitive. Gonzalez defeated Flores by 8.5 percentage points.

Despite Flores’ defeat, Republicans’ ability to flip the seat in the 2022 special election was viewed as a major step in chipping away at the Democrats’ hold in the Rio Grande Valley.

The district stretches from Brownsville and up the state’s southeastern coast to Kingsville. It also runs west into parts of Hidalgo County including parts of McAllen and Edinburg. About 87% of the residents are Hispanic.

Throughout the campaign, Flores retained her motto of "God, Family, and Country" as her message to voters, criticizing Gonzalez for voting against a bill that would have prevented transgender women from participating in female sports.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also released an ad on her behalf accusing Gonzalez of pushing “sex changes for kids” over caring about the economy.

Gonzalez has denied supporting tax-funded gender transition surgeries for minors and has accused Flores of lying to voters, referring to her as "Mayra Mentiras" or "Mayra Lies" on social media.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.