South Texas voters return to Democrats amid ICE, costs
The gist
Hidalgo County voters backed Democrats by double-digit margins in Tuesday's election, two years after Trump won the county with 51 percent.
The Rio Grande Valley's swing shows Latino voters moving on costs and ICE enforcement.
How it unfolded
- 2024Hidalgo County flipped for Donald Trump, who won it with 51 percent of the vote, and the Rio Grande Valley tilted to Republican Ted Cruz.
- Jul 2026Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Houston small-business owner with no criminal record, was fatally shot by an ICE agent.
- Nov 3, 2026Democrat Bobby Pulido beat Republican incumbent Monica De La Cruz by more than 20 percentage points in a U.S. House district redrawn to favor Republicans.
Key terms
- ICE
- Federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security that enforces immigration and customs laws.
- Rio Grande Valley
- A metropolitan region in the southernmost part of Texas along the Rio Grande, not a true valley but a river delta and floodplain.
- U.S. House district
- A geographic area whose voters elect one member to the United States House of Representatives.
Source: Wikipedia