Michelle Vallejo for Congress

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"No somos pulgueros. Somos vecinos."

<h2>Michelle Vallejo is a small business owner and a fierce community advocate from South Texas.</h2>She comes from a big family of farm workers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. She believes that everyone, with integrity, hard work &amp; dedication, deserves the opportunity to accomplish their American Dream.&nbsp;Her parents, Maribel and Daniel, grew up in northern Mexico, from where they would eventually make their way to the Rio Grande Valley in search of opportunity to build a better life for themselves. Growing up, Michelle watched her parents have to work multiple jobs, often living paycheck to paycheck, in order to make ends meet. Her parent’s were successful and launched a business of their own during Michelle’s childhood years.Along with economic development, Michelle deeply understands the importance of access to affordable healthcare in our country. Her mother, Maribel, passed away in 2010 after fighting Multiple Sclerosis for 15 years. Michelle would often have to travel with her mother, across the border into Mexico, for medical care due to the lack of options in South Texas. That experience has led Michelle to honor her mother’s legacy by fighting for a better future for working class families like hers.&nbsp;Now, Michelle and her father own and operate Pulga Los Portales, a flea market in Alton. For nearly 25 years, the Pulga has been serving thousands of people weekly and has helped dozens of working-class entrepreneurs start and run their own businesses and provide for their families.During the pandemic, Michelle saved people’s jobs by adapting to a drive-thru model and keeping the market open. Running Pulga Los Portales and serving the larger community has profoundly defined Michelle and her family values and work ethic to this day.At the pulga, they like to say, “No somos pulgueros. Somos vecinos,” “We’re not just vendors. We’re neighbors.” It is this proud sense of community and work ethic that Michelle carries in all that she does.Michelle is a proud product of the public school system in South Texas. She attended Veterans Memorial High School where she participated in student council, drama, debate, golf and the National Hispanic Institute (NHI). Michelle received the “Head of Class” award from the U.S. Border Patrol among many other accolades. Eventually, Michelle made it to Columbia University in New York City where she studied political science and history.Michelle was the 2022 democratic nominee for TX15. She’s running for Congress to be an advocate for all South Texans, bring down healthcare costs, help small businesses grow, defend our seniors, stand up for our veterans, and to make quality education affordable for all.

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<h3>Fighting for Our Community</h3>These are some of the top issues our campaign is focused on. Learn more about our issues <a href="/issues" target="" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>.

Our Campaign’s Top Priorities

The healthcare system is broken and leaves many South Texans uninsured, underinsured, and one trip to the hospital away from bankruptcy. No one should have to cross the border into Mexico for affordable medical care and treatment, but that’s the reality in South Texas.Michelle’s mother passed away at age 46 after battling MS for 15 years and had to travel to Mexico for health care because she couldn’t afford it here in Texas. Michelle knows these are the challenges many South Texas families face, so she will fight to ensure we have access to affordable, quality health care and expand rural hospitals.Michelle believes we should expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing, prescription drugs, mental health, substance abuse treatment, long-term, and disability care.And she supports expanding Medicaid, using the tax dollars that we’re already sending to Washington to provide life-saving care to thousands of South Texans.We need a healthcare system that also works for healthcare providers to do their life-saving work to the best of their abilities and limits the power and influence of insurance companies on our healthcare system.

The healthcare system is broken and leaves many South Texans uninsured, underinsured, and one trip to the hospital away from bankruptcy. No one should have to cross the border into Mexico for affordable medical care and treatment, but that’s the reality in South Texas.&nbsp;Michelle’s mother passed away at age 46 after battling MS for 15 years and had to travel to Mexico for health care...

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Affordable, High-Quality Healthcare

Our current representative, Monica De La Cruz, has voted to jeopardize Social Security and Medicare. She is putting her political party over the lives of our abuelos and abuelas in the district.Monica and republicans have jeopardized Social Security by raising the retirement age, reducing earnings, and privatizing the system. Social Security has provided our parents and grandparents a dignified retirement for generations, and we can’t risk gambling away their hard-earned benefits on Wall Street. Michelle will always protect the Social Security benefits you’ve earned through a lifetime of work.Michelle strongly supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and expanding Medicare benefits to include dental, vision, and hearing services for our seniors who have earned these benefits.

Our current representative, Monica De La Cruz, has voted to jeopardize Social Security and Medicare. She is putting her political party over the lives of our abuelos and abuelas in the district. Michelle strongly supports allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and expanding Medicare...

Protect &amp; Expand Social Security &amp; Medicare

For decades wages have been nearly stagnant. At the same time, the cost of gas, goods, food, housing, and healthcare has continued to climb. According to the US Census, the average sales price of a home in the US more than doubled from 2000 to 2021. (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ASPUS#0">Average Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (ASPUS) | FRED | St. Louis Fed (</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://stlouisfed.org">stlouisfed.org</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ASPUS#0">)</a>).&nbsp;Hard-working South Texans deserve a raise. Michelle supports raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation so wages never fall behind again. No American should have to work two or three jobs to support their family and make ends meet. Michelle will fight to bring funds to the district to help small businesses and expand economic development so that no one has to leave South Texas to make ends meet.Every year, billions of dollars of trade come across our ports of entry, making cross-border trade one of the most essential components of our local economy. Unfortunately, for far too long, South Texas has been exploited by Fortune 500 companies for cheap labor in the maquiladoras along the Texas-Mexico border. Unfair trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) shifted good paying, union jobs south of the border for sweatshop wages, including South Texas and the McAllen Foreign Trade Zone. We will fight for trade deals that protect workers, the environment, and human rights while ensuring bad actors are held accountable when violating labor and environmental laws. We need to embrace the border as a place to fuse ideas and culture and encourage innovation to flourish.

For decades wages have been nearly stagnant. At the same time, the cost of gas, goods, food, housing, and healthcare has continued to climb. According to the US Census, the average sales price of a home in the US more than doubled from 2000 to 2021...

Good–Paying Jobs &amp; A Thriving Economy

Michelle believes that the government has no business being involved in women’s private health decisions. She trusts women to make the best choices for themselves and their families. But Texas’ extreme abortion ban has taken away those freedoms, even from victims of rape and incest.Republicans are also threatening access to birth control and other reproductive health care. Women should have the right to make their own decisions with their families, faith, and doctors—and not be criminalized for those choices.

Michelle believes that the government has no business being involved in women’s private health decisions. She trusts women to make the best choices for themselves and their families. But Texas’ extreme abortion ban has taken away those freedoms, even from victims of rape and incest.&nbsp;Republicans are also threatening access to birth control...

Protecting Reproductive Rights

Devastating floods impact thousands of South Texans due to the increasing rate of climate change and natural disasters, costing taxpayers billions of dollars in flood damage due to a lack of infrastructure improvements. Michelle strongly supports the bipartisan infrastructure law that will bring billions of dollars to South Texas to upgrade our drainage, roads, and bridges.Michelle believes Texas should remain the leading energy producer in the country and the world. She supports an all of the above approach that keeps people working in oil and gas while investing significantly in clean and renewable energy to lower costs for Texas families and create thousands of new jobs that can’t be outsourced.&nbsp;We have incredible opportunities to grow Texas energy jobs. Texas is now the leading wind energy AND solar energy producer in America. And wind now provides the second largest share of our energy supply, passing coal last year.&nbsp; We must support the development of these critical energy sources to create jobs, make our grid more reliable and lower costs for Texas families.

Devastating floods impact thousands of South Texans due to the increasing rate of climate change and natural disasters, costing taxpayers billions of dollars in flood damage due to a lack of infrastructure improvements. Michelle strongly supports the bipartisan infrastructure law...

Energy Jobs &amp; Investing In Our Future

Michelle knows that a four-year degree isn’t the only path to a career. Community colleges and trade schools also provide a pathway to high-paying, stable jobs to support our families. But, unfortunately, sky-rocketing tuition costs for public college and trade school have made higher education and skills training out of reach for too many South Texans.As someone still paying off her student loans, Michelle knows the burden student debt can place on Valley families. Students shouldn’t be crushed under the weight of unreasonable student loans just because they couldn’t afford it or didn’t come from a wealthy family. She supports making trade school and community college tuition-free so more South Texans can attain the skills they need for a good job.

Michelle knows that a four-year degree isn’t the only path to a career. Community colleges and trade schools also provide a pathway to high-paying, stable jobs to support our families. But, unfortunately, sky-rocketing tuition costs for public college and trade school have made higher education and skills training out of reach...

Affordable Education

Michelle is committed to securing our border while treating migrants with dignity and upholding their legal right to seek asylum. We must ensure our law enforcement agencies have what they need to end drug and human trafficking and protect their right to bargain for better working conditions. Our asylum process must be efficient. We need to invest in border infrastructure to ensure all ports of entry can handle the backlog of asylum seekers and refine our enforcement practices to become more conscious of humanitarian needs.We must pass an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have worked hard and contributed to their communities. We can fix our broken immigration system, treat immigrants seeking the American Dream with humanity, and provide hard-working families with a legal, permanent, and safe path to citizenship.Additionally, we must stop the political grandstanding with Dreamers who are actively participating and making a positive impact in our economic growth through DACA. It is time to legislate a permanent solution like the Dream Act to fully incorporate them into the American economy. &nbsp;

Michelle is committed to securing our border while treating migrants with dignity and upholding their legal right to seek asylum. We must ensure our law enforcement agencies have what they need to end drug and human trafficking and protect their right to bargain for better working conditions. Our asylum process...

Immigration

In the last four decades, wages have stagnated while the top 1% get richer. The pandemic has left thousands of South Texans in unstable economic conditions while billionaire wealth has surged. It’s time for Wall Street, big corporations, and billionaires to pay their fair share so that we can close the gaps that have hurt the working and middle class in America.Michelle strongly opposes Republican budget cuts to our schools, veterans’ health care and Medicare and Social Security, and believes that we shouldn’t reduce the deficit on the backs of working families when the most privileged in our society aren’t pulling their weight.

In the last four decades, wages have stagnated while the top 1% get richer. The pandemic has left thousands of South Texans in unstable economic conditions while billionaire wealth has surged. It’s time for Wall Street, big corporations, and billionaires to pay their fair share so that we can close the gaps that have hurt the working and middle class...

Making the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share

We must protect our communities from gun violence to prevent another tragedy like in El Paso in 2019, Uvalde in 2022, and Allen, TX this year.&nbsp;South Texans aren’t afraid of guns—we grew up shooting at gun ranges and hunting on family ranches. But we also know that common-sense gun safety measures can prevent gun violence in America and still respect the Second Amendment.&nbsp;Michelle strongly supports the bipartisan gun safety bill written by Texas Sen. John Cornyn that strengthened background checks and funded red flag laws that will help keep firearms out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others. But Texans overwhelmingly support doing more, like creating universal background checks for all gun sales and stopping permitless concealed carry.&nbsp;

We must protect our communities from gun violence to prevent another tragedy like in El Paso in 2019, Uvalde in 2022, and Allen, TX this year.&nbsp;South Texans aren’t afraid of guns—we grew up shooting at gun ranges and hunting on family ranches. But we also know that common-sense gun safety measures can prevent gun violence...

Ending Gun&nbsp;Violence

Texas Republicans are making&nbsp; it harder for Texans of all parties and backgrounds to vote. Last March, over 12% of all mail-in ballots—nearly 25,000 Texans’ votes—were rejected and not counted. That’s 1 in 8 mail-in voters who lost their voice on the ballot, regardless of political party.&nbsp;All Americans have a constitutional right to fair and equal access to the ballot, and it’s time to pass electoral reforms that would end gerrymandering of congressional districts and allow early voting, mail-in voting, and campaign finance transparency.

Texas Republicans are making&nbsp; it harder for Texans of all parties and backgrounds to vote. Last March, over 12% of all mail-in ballots—nearly 25,000 Texans’ votes—were rejected and not counted. That’s 1 in 8 mail-in voters who lost their voice on the ballot, regardless of political party...

Expanding Voting Rights

Our veterans deserve nothing less than the best medical care. They have given so much through their selfless service to our country. It is our sacred obligation to take care of them after their honorable service.Unfortunately, our current representative, Monica De La Cruz, has voted to slash benefits for veterans by up to $29.7 Billion. That means an estimated 23% cut for the VA in 2024 compared to 2023. That could translate to 13 million fewer health care appointments for veterans and deep cuts to the agency according to media reports.The current VA healthcare system is failing our veterans as it is. We must raise pay and upgrade our facilities so that we can recruit the best nurses, doctors, and mental health professionals.&nbsp;Additionally, we must fight for a VA hospital in the Rio Grande Valley and increase veterans' access to healthcare resources as close as possible to their homes. Veterans who selflessly fought for our country shouldn't have to drive hours for care.&nbsp;Michelle will also fight to provide housing for homeless veterans and access to mental health services to stop the public health crisis of veteran suicide.&nbsp;We must always stand up for and honor our veterans and their families.

Our veterans deserve nothing less than the best medical care. They have given so much through their selfless service to our country. It is our sacred obligation to take care of them after their honorable service. Unfortunately, our current representative, Monica De La Cruz, has voted to slash benefits for veterans by up to $29.7 Billion...

Caring For Our Veterans

Michelle sees the impact of rising costs on families daily at Pulga Los Portales, the community market she runs. More customers are coming weekly to find affordable produce and food and bargain for cheaper home goods that are too expensive at the grocery store.The most significant cost facing many families continues to be rising health care and prescription drug costs. Michelle will take on the drug and insurance companies to lower prices and make health care affordable for every South Texas family. Michelle's mother battled multiple sclerosis for 15 long years and had no option but to go to Mexico to afford treatment and medications. No American should be forced across the border for the care they need in the richest country on earth.In addition, Michelle knows we need to strengthen our supply chain by bringing manufacturing jobs back to America. We can lower costs and put Americans to work by keeping those jobs here instead of in other countries. Wages must also keep up with inflation. Therefore, Michelle supports raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation so Americans' incomes aren't slashed by inflation.Michelle also supports investing in Texas' wind and solar energy production, which can help stabilize our grid and lower electricity costs for South Texas families.Finally, Michelle will also fight to strengthen the region's small businesses and economic development so entrepreneurial families can lift themselves up and provide a better life for their children.

Michelle sees the impact of rising costs on families daily at Pulga Los Portales, the community market she runs. More customers are coming weekly to find affordable produce and food and bargain for cheaper home goods that are too expensive at the grocery store. The most significant cost...

Lowering Costs for Families

Every South Texan deserves equal protection and justice, regardless of who they are and who they love. LGBTQ+ families and individuals are part of the fabric of our communities and they should be able to live free of discrimination. It’s been long overdue for Congress to pass the Equality Act, which would explicitly ban any discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender. We need to fight for a health care system that ensures our LGBTQ+ community has access to the services they need.

Every South Texan deserves equal protection and justice, regardless of who they are and who they love. LGBTQ+ families and individuals are part of the fabric of our communities and they should be able to live free of discrimination. It’s been long overdue for Congress to pass the Equality Act...

LGBTQ Equality &amp; Justice

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TX-15 is the most competitive congressional seat in the state— the stakes have never been higher! I hope that you'll join me in our movement to take back the district.

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Latest Campaign Developments

In Texas, Democrats have just one opportunity to flip a Republican-held seat currently held by freshman Rep. Monica De La Cruz. The likely candidate, Michelle Vallejo, says the stories of Texas women denied abortion access under the state's new restrictive abortion law are roiling voters in her district...

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House Democratic candidates make abortion access top focus of '24 campaigns

U.S. House Democrats are rallying around Michelle Vallejo in her bid to unseat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the 15th congressional district this year.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Monday it will add Vallejo to the first cohort of its “Red to Blue” program, which selects promising candidates to support who are challenging Republican incumbents.

National Democrats back Michelle Vallejo for 15th congressional district

Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) initially ran for Congress with an unabashed anti-abortion stance. Ever since then, abortion has quietly been disappearing from her campaign website.

This GOP Rep.’s Anti-Abortion Stances Keep Vanishing From Her Website

Shortly after deciding to run for Congress on a platform that supports abortion rights, Democrat Michelle Vallejo had a conversation with her grandmother.Given their generational differences, the complexities of the abortion politics and her grandmother’s deep religious faith, they didn’t find consensus on every aspect of the issue.

Latina Candidates Plan Abortion Rights Push

Colin Allred, the North Texas congressman who is hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz next November, was in the Rio Grande Valley this week to lend his support to another campaign hopeful, Michelle Vallejo.

Ted Cruz challenger Colin Allred visits the RGV to campaign, endorses Michelle Vallejo

Las demócratas Michelle Vallejo, Allyson Muñiz Damikolas y Marlene Galán-Woods buscan posiciones en Texas, California y Arizona, respectivamente, en cuyos distritos hay un destacado porcentaje de población latina.

Tres latinas pelean posiciones en el Congreso y logran apoyo del BOLD PAC

Vallejo’s announcement highlights her unique candidacy. Her family has been a bedrock of their community thanks to managing Pulga Los Portales in Alton, Texas.

Michelle Vallejo Launches Rematch Campaign

“I am going to be relaunching my campaign for Texas District 15 — very excited to be jumping in with the support and encouragement of my community,” Vallejo said during an exclusive interview with The Monitor, ahead of the official announcement.

Michelle Vallejo announces 2024 run for District 15 congressional seat

McAllen, TX — Today, Democrat Michelle Vallejo announced her campaign for Texas’s 15th Congressional District. Michelle is a small business owner, daughter of immigrants, and fierce advocate for her community. In her launch video, Vallejo highlights her stark contrast with the incumbent, Representative Monica De La Cruz.&nbsp;“Today, I am launching our campaign to flip Texas’s 15th congressional district because the Rio Grande Valley needs a fighter in Congress who will put the needs of our community first,” Vallejo said. “In her short time in Congress, Monica De La Cruz has sided with her party on every issue, even when it hurts South Texas families. She’s voted to jeopardize Social Security and Medicare for our abuelitos, slash funding for veterans’ health care and take away millions from our schools. We deserve better. My family has lived our Sueño Americano, and I want to make sure the next generation of South Texans has the same opportunity to lift themselves up too.”Vallejo is running to make sure hard-working South Texans are able to support their families, get their kids a good education and give them economic opportunities so they can stay here in the Valley. She will fight for access to affordable, high-quality health care and defend women's reproductive freedom.In 2022, Vallejo won a competitive six-way primary while being outspent 4-1. Michelle earned nearly 68,000 votes in the general election, raised over $2 million, and received endorsements from multiple members of Congress and major national Democratic organizations. Texas’s 15th congressional district has been identified as one of the top priorities for the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/03/monica-de-la-cruz-dccc/">national Democrats</a> for the 2024 cycle.&nbsp;Michelle Vallejo is a small business owner and a fierce community advocate from South Texas. She comes from a big family of farm workers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. Along with economic development, Michelle deeply understands the importance of access to affordable healthcare in our country. Her mother, Maribel, passed away in 2010 after fighting Multiple Sclerosis for 15 years. Michelle would often have to travel with her mother, across the border into Mexico, for medical care due to the lack of options in South Texas. That experience has led Michelle to honor her mother’s legacy by fighting for a better future for working class families like hers. Michelle, and her father, own and operate Pulga Los Portales, a flea market in Alton. For nearly 25 years, the Pulga has been serving thousands of people weekly and has helped dozens of working-class entrepreneurs start and run their own businesses and provide for their families.&nbsp;&nbsp;Since getting elected last year, Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz has voted in favor of more restrictions on reproductive health care. She has publicly supported bills that would defund <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2023/01/24/gop-social-security-medicare-debt-limit/">Social Security and Medicare</a> and slash funds from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3976425-veterans-sound-alarm-on-mccarthy-budget-cuts/">veterans</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-25/biden-administration-blasts-education-cuts-in-mccarthy-debt-plan">public schools</a>.Keep up with Michelle at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://michellefortx15.com">michellefortx15.com</a> and on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/michellevfortx">Facebook</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/MichelleVforTX">Twitter</a>.

Today, Democrat Michelle Vallejo announced her campaign for Texas’s 15th Congressional District.

Democrat Michelle Vallejo Announces Run For Texas’ 15th Congressional District

Now matter who it is, the winner of the Rio Grande Valley congressional district race will represent a sharp break from the region's political past.

Trump Republican or Liberal Democrat? Latinas Battle for House Seat

The region has long been characterized as adamantly opposed to abortion rights. But the reality is more complicated. And times are changing.

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