South Texas County Turns Red After 132 Years as GOP Flips Key Seats in the Historically Blue Region

Donald Trump won big in Starr County with about 57.7% of the vote, managing to flip a former Democratic stronghold in Texas for the first time in 132 years.

Starr County is located in the Rio Grande Valley region along the Texas-Mexico border. Data from the Texas Comptroller shows that the region has the highest concentration of Hispanics in the state, a key voter bloc that Republicans worked hard to gain, with much success.

For context, in 2016, Donald Trump lost the county to Hillary Clinton, 79% to 19%. In 2020, he lost to Joe Biden by a much smaller margin, Biden took only 52% of the vote.

"Texans have spoken! They want strong, conservative leaders who will prioritize economic growth and securing our border," Texas gov. Greg Abbott said, reacting to the election's results.

"We even had Republican candidates win seats that had been held by Democrats," Abbott added, referring to Republicans Don McLaughlin and Denise Villalobos, who flipped two House seats in South Texas.

McLaughlin defeated Democrat Cecilia Castellano in his bid for House District 80, located south of San Antonio. McLaughlin has become the first Republican in over two decades to win House District 80.

Republican Denise Villalobos won in her bid for House District 34—a Corpus Christi-area district—in a race against Democrat Solomon Ortiz.

Both candidates received endorsements from Trump and Abbott, with the latter picking them specifically because they support school choice legislation, which he has failed to pass in the past.

South Texas Latinos sent a loud message about a change of voting priorities and values starting in the 2020 elections, which Republican campaigns catered to strategically in 2024. While the party's targeted outreach to Latinos sparked both support and skepticism, it proved to be effective in gaining their vote.

Political psychology expert Alejandro Flores cited the GOP's efforts of acknowledging Latino culture and values as game-changing, starting with Trump. Trump went from saying Mexico was sending "criminals" and "rapists" in 2015 to praising Latino entrepreneurship in 2024. From scolding Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish to televising MAGA ads with salsa music.

"Trump's approach shows a clear awareness of the importance of Latino voters, especially in pivotal states. By using Spanish-language ads and cultural cues, he's signaling that he gets Latino culture, that he respects and values it," Flores said.

According to Flores, while Democrats have historically counted on the Latino vote, their monolithic treatment of the demographic, and their historic focus on immigration as a key voting issue, could be one of the reasons why Latinos felt increasingly unidentified with the party.

"There's a perception that Democrats take Latino support for granted, he said. "So, while Trump's efforts may not be perfect, his campaign's attention to Latino voters can stand out against a backdrop of inconsistent engagement from the Democratic side."