Vice President Kamala Harris has been “honestly useless” at controlling the US border with Mexico, Republican Representative Mayra Flores (Texas) told Fox News earlier this week. In a recent special election, Flores flipped a seat comfortably won by her Democratic predecessor just two years ago.
Flores defeated Democratic candidate Dan Sanchez in a special election last week, picking up 51% of the vote in a district won by outgoing Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela by 13 points in 2020. Flores’ district, which sits in the Rio Grande Valley bordering Mexico, is 85% Hispanic, has been represented by Vela since 2012, and voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections.
Flores’ victory is being interpreted by some analysts as a sign that voters are unhappy with the Democratic Party’s border policies, and Flores herself singled out Harris for criticism on Thursday.