SAN ANTONIO — Carlos de la Cruz, an Air Force veteran, won the Republican runoff election for Texas’ 35th Congressional District on May 28, 2024. He defeated John Lujan, who had finished first in the March Republican primary with 33% of the vote; de la Cruz placed second with 27%, securing his spot in the runoff.
De la Cruz is the brother of U.S. Representative Monica de la Cruz of Texas, who endorsed him during the runoff campaign. He also received backing from President Donald Trump during the primary and from House Speaker Mike Johnson in the runoff contest.
During his military service, de la Cruz was deployed to the Middle East and to the U.S.-Mexico border. His victory sets him up as the Republican nominee in the November general election for a district that was newly redrawn during Texas’ recent redistricting cycle.
The new version of Texas’ 35th Congressional District stretches southward to include parts of San Antonio. It is majority Hispanic and is considered more favorable to Trump-aligned candidates than in previous election cycles.
The seat is currently held numerically by Democrat Gregorio Casar, but he opted to run in an adjacent district following the redistricting. In that neighboring district, longtime Representative Lloyd Doggett chose not to seek re-election, contingent on the new congressional map passing legal review. Democrats remain optimistic about their chances of winning the newly redrawn 35th District in November, despite de la Cruz’s runoff victory and the district’s shift toward Republican advantage under the new boundaries.