Mayra Flores sworn in, sets record as first Mexican-born woman in Congress

Republican Representative Mayra Flores was sworn into Congress on Tuesday, becoming the first Mexican born woman in Congress and the first Republican Latina to represent Texas.

"My very first day in office and it's a memorable one for sure. This is what dreams are made of; faith, family, and hardwork," Flores tweeted Tuesday.

My very first day in office and it's a memorable one for sure. This is what dreams are made of; faith, family, and hardwork. #TX34 #DreamsComeTrue pic.twitter.com/FXx6DDKqMM

— Mayra Flores For Congress 🇺🇸🦅 (@MayraFlores2022) June 21, 2022

Flores, born in Mexico to migrant farmerworkers, won the special election for Texas’ 34th Congressional District on June 14 with nearly 51% of the vote, defeating her Democrat counterpart by seven percentage points.

The special election was held to determine who would fill the seat after Democratic Representative Filemon Vela Jr. left his seat in March. Her victory will be the first time her district will seat a Republican in Congress in 10 years. 

She is also helping set a historic high for women in Congress: 147 women overall and 41 Republican women hold congressional seats, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics and Rutgers University. In addition, this year’s numbers for Republican women in Congress rose dramatically when compared to 2018, when it dropped from 23 to 13.

Flores will hold the seat until the end of this year until a permanent representative for the district is elected in November’s mid-term elections. Then, she will run against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who is shifting from the 15th Congressional District.

"This win is for the people who were ignored for so long! This is a message that the establishment will no longer be tolerated! We have officially started the red wave!!" Flores’ campaign wrote on Facebook the night of the election.