Democrats were shellshocked when Republican Javier Villalobos secured a narrow win over Veronica Whitacre in a runoff election to become mayor of McAllen, Texas. The news spells trouble for Democrats who have for years been making strides to flip Texas blue and also highlights a key shift in demographics as the town of McAllen is comprised of approximately 85% Latino voters.
Amazing news! McAllen, Texas is a major border town of 140,000 people. 85% Hispanic — and just elected a Republican mayor.
The macro realignment accelerates in South Texas, and elsewhere, as Hispanics rally to America First:
Strong Borders
Economic Nationalism
Pro-Police pic.twitter.com/6sJPciZaJt— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) June 6, 2021
Democrats have often claimed that minority voters almost always support the left’s agenda but this election shows that is not always the case.
Fox News reports:
“Javier Villalobos is a proven leader who cares deeply about the people of the Rio Grande Valley. Congratulations on becoming the next Mayor of McAllen!” Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on Facebook.
Villalobos, an attorney, was appointed to the Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board by Abbott in 2018 and is the former chair of the Hidalgo County GOP.
“Let me start by thanking the voters, my team, my family [and] everyone who helped run this campaign. Thank you McAllen for trusting [and] believing in me. I promise to not let you down,” Villalobos wrote on Facebook this weekend.
He received praise from conservatives across the country. Hidalgo County, home of McAllen, went to President Biden by roughly 17 points in the 2020 election.
Villalobos criticized the Biden administration’s response to the border crisis during his campaign as many Texans have felt the crisis firsthand as Biden does nothing to quell the surge of migrant crossings.
