Carlos De La Cruz scored a major Republican primary victory Tuesday night, defeating longtime Texas lawmaker John Lujan in the race for Texas’ newly redrawn 35th Congressional District.
According to Fox News, the win gives Republicans a high-profile candidate in a district reshaped during Texas redistricting and could potentially create a rare political milestone in Washington.
De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran, is the brother of Monica De La Cruz, a close ally of President Donald Trump who already represents a nearby South Texas district.
If De La Cruz wins the general election in November, the siblings would join a short list of brothers and sisters who have served together in Congress.
Among the most notable examples were Pennsylvania brothers Frederick and John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg during the country’s early years, along with the Washburn brothers in the 1800s, and California sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez more recently.
Trump endorsed De La Cruz during the heated primary race, boosting the candidate as Republicans target the district after new congressional maps made the seat more favorable to the GOP.
The district is currently represented numerically by Gregorio Casar, though the congressman opted to run in a neighboring district after the maps were redrawn.
The newly configured seat now stretches farther south toward San Antonio and is viewed as far friendlier to Republicans than the previous version.
Lujan initially led the March primary, finishing ahead of De La Cruz 33% to 27%, but neither candidate captured enough support to avoid a runoff.
De La Cruz entered the runoff with backing from both Trump and Mike Johnson.
His campaign also highlighted his military service, including deployments to the Middle East and the southern border.
Lujan, meanwhile, leaned on his years of experience in Texas politics and his long-standing ties to the district.
The Democratic side of the race also drew national attention after candidate Maureen Galindo sparked backlash for remarks about imprisoning wealthy “Zionists” at an ICE detention center.
Her comments were condemned by Democrats across the ideological spectrum, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hakeem Jeffries.
Despite the district’s new Republican tilt, Democrats reportedly still believe they can remain competitive in the majority-Hispanic seat heading into November.
