Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and first-time candidate backed by President Trump, won a sharply contested primary runoff on Tuesday over a moderate state representative in a U.S. House district around San Antonio that was newly drawn to favor Republicans, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. De La Cruz turned his lack of political experience and his vow to be “President Trump’s wingman” into assets in the race for the district, Texas’ 35th.
He defeated John Lujan, who was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Mr. Lujan has represented portions of the redrawn district in his three terms in the Texas House and was a favorite among Texas Republican leaders in the primary race.
Mr. Lujan faced a crowded field in the first round of voting in March and ended up in a runoff with Mr. De La Cruz, who received endorsements from Mr. Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Party leaders in Texas threw their weight behind Mr. Lujan, a former San Antonio firefighter who owns an information technology business and proved capable of winning tough general-election races. He reached the statehouse by flipping a formerly Democratic district.
Mr. De La Cruz is the brother of Representative Monica De La Cruz, a Republican from a neighboring South Texas district. His fund-raising kept pace with the more experienced Mr. Lujan with help from Washington. A fund-raising event last month was attended by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.
Texas’ 35th District is currently represented by a Democrat, but Republicans in the Texas Legislature voted to relocate most of the district to an area that includes parts of San Antonio and conservative suburbs and rural areas.
Still, the general election for the 35th is expected to be competitive. Democrats in Texas and in Washington believe that rising prices and sagging presidential approval ratings will make the majority-Hispanic district winnable.
The victory by Mr. De La Cruz may make that task easier for Democrats.
J. David Goodman is the Texas bureau chief for The Times, based in Houston.
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