“Monica De La Cruz’s days in Congress are numbered. South Texans are outraged over her enthusiastic support of a six-week abortion ban and dangerous plan to cut Social Security and Medicare. Voters know that they can trust Michelle Vallejo to fight for them in Congress. As a business owner and health care advocate, Michelle knows this community firsthand and is running to give the Rio Grande Valley the representation they deserve,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties From: Lauryn Fanguen
Date: March 5, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Monica De La Cruz
Michelle Vallejo’s story is the story of countless South Texans. She’s the daughter of Mexican immigrants who grew up navigating the obstacles everyday Texans continue to face to simply survive. For Michelle, that meant regularly traveling with her mom across the border for treatment for her mother’s multiple sclerosis. That experience led Michelle to run for Congress to make health care accessible and affordable for her family and her community.
Michelle and her family have deep roots in the Rio Grande Valley. Through Pulga Los Portales, the flea market she and her father own together, Michelle and her family have provided dozens of working-class entrepreneurs opportunities to grow their business and provide for their families.
In contrast, Monica De La Cruz went to Congress and embraced a far-right agenda that is hurting Texas families. De La Cruz lied to get elected in 2022, but now as a freshman incumbent, she’s forced to explain her extreme record to voters. Supporting unpopular abortion bans, endorsing cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and pushing dangerous and undemocratic conspiracy theories is just the tip of the iceberg of De La Cruz’s extremism. She left Texas families behind, and this November, they’ll return the favor and leave Monica De La Cruz in the past.
The Rio Grande Valley is the most competitive part of Texas, making it a prime opportunity for a congressional rematch. Abortion continues to dominate Texas politics and headlines. Since Texas’ deeply unpopular six-week abortion ban – which is before many women even know that they’re pregnant — there’s been story after story about the horrific impact it’s having on Texas women. Kate Cox’s story in particular is enraging the nation. This is only the beginning. As more women and families share their heartbreaking abortion stories, voters will hold anti-choice politicians like Monica De La Cruz who support the Texas abortion ban accountable.
De La Cruz: A History of Banning Abortion and Restricting Access To Health Care
Texas is ground zero for the abortion bans and restrictions we’re seeing across the country and Monica De La Cruz is at the forefront, celebrating Texas women losing their rights. De La Cruz is on the wrong side of voters: the majority of Texans support abortion rights. De La Cruz celebrated the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and cheered when Texas’ six-week abortion ban, the same law that forced Kate Cox to leave Texas to get care, took effect. This law has no exemptions for survivors of rape or incest. De La Cruz even supports letting Texas send doctors and nurses to prison for performing abortions.
De La Cruz isn’t stopping at abortion. She would work with her extremist colleagues to put the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block, despite nearly 3.5 million Texans relying on the ACA for their health care coverage. Repealing the ACA would expose over 4,794,000 Texans with pre-existing conditions to loss of coverage.
Attacking Social Security, Leaving Our Seniors Behind
Monica De La Cruz supports privatizing Social Security, ending the guarantee of retirement income that South Texans have paid into their entire careers. She is also part of the Republican Study Committee that recommended cutting Social Security and privatizing Medicare. De La Cruz even went as far as supporting a constitutional amendment that would threaten Social Security and Medicare. AARP rightfully fought back against the amendment, noting that it “would be devastating for millions of Americans.”
For South Texans, community means taking care of each other. Monica De La Cruz’s attacks on the nearly 100,000 seniors living in Texas’ 15th Congressional District and their hard-earned benefits don’t just impact South Texas seniors, they impact the whole community she claims to represent.
Unhinged And Dangerous
Monica De La Cruz isn’t just a danger politically, she is also accused of being dangerous forher own family. In court filings, De La Cruz’s ex-husband claimed that she was “verbally abusive and aggressive” to his daughter, engaged in “cruel and aggressive conduct,” and “engaged in arguments and disagreements which damage the mental well being of my fourteen year old.” The court then issued a temporary restraining order against De La Cruz, forcing her to stay away from her step daughter. If Monica De La Cruz can’t be trusted by those who know her best, voters can’t trust her in Congress with the safety and wellbeing of Texas families.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
HEADLINE: National Democrats will invest to retake South Texas congressional district in 2024 [Texas Tribune, 04/03/23]
HEADLINE: This GOP Rep.’s Anti-Abortion Stances Keep Vanishing From Her Website [Daily Beast, 01/18/24]
“Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) initially ran for Congress with an unabashed anti-abortion stance. Ever since then, abortion has quietly been disappearing from her campaign website.”
HEADLINE: Top GOP congressional candidate in Texas accused of abusing teenage daughter of estranged husband [Washington Post, 11/09/21]
“A star Republican congressional candidate in Texas was accused last month by her estranged husband in court documents of ‘cruel and aggressive conduct’ toward his 14-year-old daughter, including verbal abuse and pinching the child to stop her from crying.”
HEADLINE: Latina candidates plan abortion rights push [Roll Call, 01/02/24]
PATH TO VICTORY
This is a competitive district in every way. Beto O’Rourke would have carried this district in 2018 and Hillary Clinton would have won the district in 2016 with 54.7% of the vote. TX-15 also has a growing suburban population and diverse communities. As the epicenter of the fight for abortion access, abortion will continue to drive voter turnout.
Monica De La Cruz had two years to show voters that she will fight for their best interests in Congress and she failed miserably. From supporting draconian abortion policies to actively threatening Social Security and Medicare, De La Cruz is a danger to South Texans’ everyday lives. The sharp contrast with Michelle Vallejo, a champion for reproductive rights, a small business owner, and active member of the community, could not be clearer.
Monica De La Cruz can’t run from her disastrous record of voting against South Texans. Now that voters see how extreme and untrustworthy she really is, they’ll send her packing and elect Michelle Vallejo this fall.
