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Texas’s 34th Congressional District was won by President Joe Biden by 4 percentage points, a drop from the 21.5-point margin Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had over Donald Trump in 2016.ĭistricts in Texas will likely be redrawn before the midterm elections, potentially shifting the contours of the district Vela represents. The House is currently 219–211, with one Republican set to be seated soon. Republicans flipped 15 House seats in 2020, including one held by a Libertarian, narrowing the Democrats’ majority considerably. “Texans deserve a congressman who is going to stand up to Biden’s open-border agenda, not defend it,” she said.

Torunn Sinclair, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement that Vela “knows Biden’s border crisis will cost him his seat and Democrats’ their House majority.” While Vela won reelection last year with 55 percent of the vote, Republicans announced last month the district was one of 47 they believe they can flip in 2022, labeling Vela and other Democrats as “vulnerable.” The district, which is majority Hispanic, includes areas along the U.S.–Mexico border. Vela, 58, has represented Texas’s 34th Congressional District since 2013. “I will not be seeking reelection to the House of Representatives in 2022,” Vela said in a March 22 statement to news outlets. “I will continue to focus on maintaining a Democratic House and Senate Majority in my capacity as a member of Congress and Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, while working diligently for the people I am so grateful to represent.” House when his current term ends in early 2023. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) says he’ll retire from the U.S. If Flores wins the special election, she would oppose Gonzalez in a rare U.S. He has said he has no plans to resign from his current seat to run in a special election for Vela's unfinished term, the Tribune reported.Īny other Democrats interested in running for Vela's seat in the special election will be able to hold it only briefly - it's too late for new general election candidates.Īctivist Mayra Flores, the Republican nominee for the November campaign, intends to run in the special election, the Tribune reported. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, who represents the nearby 15th District, will switch to the 34th District in the general election due to redistricting. Vela carried the 34 th District by about 14 points in 2020. November's general election will determine who will represent Vela's 34 th District and help decide which party will control Congress.Ī recent National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) poll found that Republicans hold a four-point advantage over Democrats in battleground districts across the country ahead of the midterm elections. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, now can set a special election date to determine who will serve for the remainder of Vela's unfinished term, which is a matter of months. "It has been a profound honor to represent the people of the 34th Congressional District of Texas for the last nine years, and my distinct pleasure to serve under your leadership." House of Representatives, effective today at 11:59 PM EST," Vela wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the Tribune reported. "I write to inform you that I have notified Texas Governor Greg Abbott of my resignation from the U.S. Vela last week confirmed he would resign to work for Akin Gump, a prominent lobbying and law firm. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, resigned from Congress late Thursday, The Texas Tribune reported.