Texas Right to Life celebrated Honorable Peter Flores’ swearing in for Senate District 19. His election victory and service in public office mark several historic firsts: Flores is the first ever Pro-Life Republican to represent SD 19, a feat previously not accomplished for 139 years. Senator Flores is also the first Hispanic Republican to serve in the Texas Senate.
Senator Flores’s win last month came in the runoff election for the special election in SD 19. Anti-Life Democrat Carlos Uresti vacated the seat, resigning in disgrace following several felony convictions and a 12-year sentence in federal prison. In the runoff, Flores defeated Democrat Pete Gallego, who consistently demonstrated a radical anti-Life record in the Texas House of Representatives and in the U.S. Congress.
Texas Right to Life PAC ignited the statewide enthusiasm for Flores as the first major political organization to endorse him. During the campaign, Texas Right to Life PAC promoted ads in Spanish and English highlighting constituents’ shared values with Flores. Studies have shown that Texas Right to Life PAC ads have a significant influence on the political landscape of Texas. The reason for this is clear: Texans have strong Pro-Life principles and expect their elected officials to reflect those values in office.
The Pro-Life victory in SD 19 is also significant because of the size of the district. Encompassing 17 counties, SD 19 is one of the largest districts. Flores won a decisive victory, defeating Gallego by 53 to 47 percent and winning 10 of the 17 counties. Even more remarkable, turnout in the counties where Flores won nearly doubled the turnout in counties where Gallego won.
These statistics of Senator Flores’ victory deflate the abortion lobby’s dreams of a “blue wave” sweeping across Texas. Candidates who support Pro-Life values win in Texas because Texans are Pro-Life. The huge difference in voter turnout in counties Flores won also indicates that the status quo of pro-abortion politicians will no longer be tolerated. When a committed Pro-Life candidate is on the ballot, Pro-Life voters are strongly motivated to show up to the polls.
Locally and nationally, the tactics of pro-abortion, career politicians are being unmasked and rejected. In Texas, the unacceptable records of anti-Life politicians lost SD 19, and voters there coalesced to ensure Pro-Life representation in Austin. Nationally, the extreme tactics of pro-abortion groups to derail the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court showed Pro-Life voters how much is at stake in the November election. Texas Right to Life anticipates a strong Pro-Life showing on November 6.