Flores best in GOP runoff for Texas Senate
In 2018, Pete Flores defied history. The Republican won a special election to represent Senate District 19, a traditional Democratic stronghold. Flores then lost the seat in 2020 to longtime Democratic state lawmaker Roland Gutierrez. Two years later, Flores is back in the game, seeking to return to the Texas Senate, this time representing the newly drawn District 24. This district was undoubtedly gerrymandered with Flores in mind, with the new map leaning heavily Republican and including his hometown of Pleasanton.
In the GOP runoff, Flores faces Raul Reyes Jr., a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from Castroville, who ran a bitterly close race for Congress in 2020, losing to Tony Gonzales in the GOP runoff.
We recommend Pete Flores in this runoff. We disagree with Flores on a host of issues — abortion, how best to address property taxes, the worthiness of Operation Lone Star — but we appreciate his gracious demeanor and his proven ability to work with lawmakers of both parties to deliver for Bexar County.
Reyes did not respond to our requests for a meeting, but we appreciate his critique of the Texas Senate, quoted in the Texas Tribune: “Right now, if you ask me, it’s a Senate of one, and that’s Dan Patrick.”
We do share the concern that Flores won’t show independence from Patrick. That said, Flores, a former game warden, has excellent relationships with many lawmakers, including many Bexar County Democrats. He delivered on key funding for the San Antonio State Hospital, Texas A&M University-san Antonio and foster care programming.
While District 24 does not include Bexar County, Flores, if elected, would likely be a crucial lawmaker for San Antonio in a Gop-controlled Senate.