AUSTIN, Texas — A Republican Latina running for reelection to Congress in South Texas is betting big on the U.S. Border Patrol in an ad buy one month ahead of Election Day.
The campaign for Rep. Mayra Flores debuted a 30-second television ad this week that is solely focused on her ardent support for the Border Patrol and its mission, a topic that has divided Hispanics on the border for decades.
Paul Smith, a campaign spokesman for Flores, said Flores put six figures’ worth of her campaign’s money into the ad, one indication that Flores, who won a special election in June, is confident in her conservative approach to national security and humanitarian issues.
“Some heroes wear capes. Others wear green,” Flores states in the ad, referring to Border Patrol agents like her husband, who wear army-green uniforms.
The 30-second ad emphasizes her focus on border security, dubbing Border Patrol agents “heroes” and blaming Democrats in Washington for the record-high illegal migration at the southern border over the past year and a half.
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Two girls wearing superhero costumes run across the front lawn of a house, playing with each other as Flores speaks in front of them.
“In South Texas, Border Patrol keeps us safe every day. What they see — it’s heartbreaking. A humanitarian crisis created by politicians who silence Border Patrol, blame them, and take away their funding. That has to stop,” said Flores. “I am Mayra Flores, and I approve this message, because I will give Border Patrol the resources they need to secure our borders and protect our families because my hero is right here.”
The ad ends as Flores’s husband, a Border Patrol agent, picks up one of the couple’s daughters and joins the family as she finishes.
Flores became the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress earlier this year and stole the 15th Congressional District from Democrats, marking the first time a Republican had been elected in more than a century. Her predecessor, Rep. Filemon Vela, departed Congress to become a lobbyist.
Redistricting across Texas led Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of the 15th District to run instead for the 34th District, where his odds of winning are higher.
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The ad will run on TV across Flores’s district in the Rio Grande Valley, which runs 70 miles from McAllen to South Padre Island and nearly 200 miles north.
