Hours earlier than the beginning of early voting in Texas’ main election, nationwide GOP leaders dealt their native counterparts a curveball.
The brand new thirty fifth Congressional District is floor zero within the Trump administration’s effort to squeeze extra Republican lawmakers out of Texas in 2026, and the conservative Texas Legislature drew it for one in all their very own, state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio).
However within the last stretch of an 11-way GOP main, President Donald Trump threw his assist behind a unique candidate, Carlos De La Cruz, who isn’t well-known in native Republican circles, had by no means run for workplace earlier than, and raised little cash main as much as the first.
The last-minute increase was sufficient to get him 27% of the vote, sending him to a Might 26 main runoff with Lujan, who took 33%.
Now native Republicans are scrambling to familiarize themselves with a candidate who isn’t well-known in get together circles, however may quickly leapfrog into one the primary new political alternatives Bexar County Republicans have seen in a few years.
The 47-year-old U.S. Air Drive veteran launched his marketing campaign again in October, drawing headlines for his connection to U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Edinburg), his older sister, whose South Texas district at present contains a few of the new TX35.
However De La Cruz was operating a comparatively quiet marketing campaign up till a number of weeks in the past, when immediately the endorsements began rolling in — from Trump, Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), plus an extended checklist of different D.C. lawmakers.
4 days out from the election, he was on stage on the Port of Corpus Christi, opening for Trump, whose assist has given him prompt credibility in Republican circles.
“He’s a really affable younger man, and he appears to be politically fairly savvy,” mentioned Republican Occasion of Bexar County Chair Kris Coons. “I’m undecided any of us regionally knew him rather well… however we’ve loved attending to know him higher.”
De La Cruz says he can’t say why leaders in D.C. had are available so strongly in his race.
Lujan flipped a state Home district completely inside the new TX35’s boundaries, and lots of native Republicans — together with Gov. Greg Abbott — contemplate him essentially the most electable candidate in a district Democrats plan to spend huge on this fall.
Learn extra: GOP State Rep. John Lujan lays plans to run in new TX35
“I don’t wish to say something disparaging about my potential opponents, however the backside line is, they type of put us facet by facet, they usually made the choice that they made,” De La Cruz mentioned.
Democrats are additionally headed to a main runoff on this race, after get together leaders’ favourite candidate, Johnny Garcia, completed second to an area housing activist, Maureen Galindo, within the first spherical.
Prime takeaways from a main election evening filled with upsets and surprises
The San Antonio Report caught up with De La Cruz briefly earlier than the polls closed on March 3 to speak about his quixotic congressional marketing campaign, his life earlier than coming into politics and his imaginative and prescient for the function.
The interview has been evenly edited for readability and size.
Your marketing campaign launch centered in your expertise as a small enterprise proprietor in San Antonio, having opened a kickboxing gymnasium right here in 2018. Inform us about your skilled expertise earlier than this race.
Our gymnasium, we had been working for in all probability an excellent 5 years or so, the place we had a chance to serve numerous our area people, ensuring we’re serving to them, whether or not [it was for] their bodily health, their psychological well being, simply being part of the neighborhood as an entire.
We really bought [the gym] only a couple years in the past, I bought it to my supervisor.
And so now, I’m retired Air Drive. My spouse and I are very lucky to be ready the place I don’t must work, however I do it as a result of I need to. I used to be really working for the Protection Well being Company for a short time, doing a little contract work on their safety facet of the home, so I used to be at Fort Sam.
How a lot has it influenced your curiosity on this race and politics to have a sister in Congress?
I’ve at all times seemed as much as my sister, ever since I used to be little. She’s been a really huge affect in my life. I like her to loss of life. However the choice to run was my spouse and I’s choice. We wished to verify we do the best factor for the nation, and what higher place to do it than on the highest ranges in Congress.
Did you develop up in a political household?
We didn’t really, no. We might in all probability be the primary pioneers, if you’ll, for not less than our quick household.
Have been you interested by politics at a younger age?
No, the expertise I’ve is, clearly, I’ve had public service my whole life. From coming into the army at 18 years outdated, and serving 20 years within the Air Drive, I’ve seen what international affairs seems to be like by means of my deployments to the Center East and down at our southern border, the place I’ve labored side-by-side with customs brokers doing drug interdiction on the market.
What would possibly a Congressman Carlos de la Cruz appear to be? Would you be a part of the conservative Home Freedom Caucus? Or would you be a member of any of the opposite conferences in D.C. that individuals have heard about?
Truthfully, my crew and I’ve not sat down and actually type of mentioned the place we’d land. Our focus has been getting by means of this main. I used to be really begging my crew, as a result of I’ve had a number of interviews. I used to be like, let’s maintain off on the interviews till afterwards. Let’s see how this race type of flushes out.
We’d at all times heard that this district was drawn for Lujan. You got here onto the scene a bit later, and rapidly received the Trump endorsement. How did that come collectively?
We had been very lucky. Truthfully, we’ve had a number of conversations with the White Home and D.C. management. We laid out our case, and we had been in a position to be as convincing as potential to indicate them that I used to be the best particular person for this place — that I used to be the one to have the ability to get us previous a common election towards whoever the Democrat is.
What would your high priorities be in your first 100 days in workplace?
Defending our children, ensuring they inherit a rustic that they deserve. I’m a father of a 17-year-old daughter. I need to ensure she has a robust nation to develop up in. [That’s] adopted intently by an financial system that works for working households, and secure communities.
So whether or not that’s sustaining a robust border, ensuring that we solidify President Trump’s border insurance policies into legislation, that’s type of the path that I’m headed.
