Monica De La Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's15th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Vicente Gonzalez (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1974-11-11)November 11, 1974 (age 51) Brownsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Texas, San Antonio (BBA) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Monica De La Cruz (born November 11, 1974)[1] is an American politician and insurance agent from the state ofTexas. She has representedTexas's 15th congressional district in theU.S. House of Representatives since 2023 as a Republican.
De La Cruz graduated fromJames Pace Early College High School inBrownsville, Texas, and theUniversity of Texas at San Antonio, studyingmarketing.[2] She later attended theNational Autonomous University of Mexico inMexico City, studying Spanish. She interned forTurner Entertainment before working forCartoon Network Latin America.[3] Before being elected to the U.S. Congress, she was an insurance agent and business owner.
In2020, De La Cruz ran inTexas's 15th congressional district, and lost to incumbent DemocratVicente Gonzalez by almost three percentage points.[4]
Endorsed byDonald Trump and House Minority LeaderKevin McCarthy, De La Cruz ran again in the 15th district in2022, while Gonzalez was redistricted toTexas's 34th congressional district. De La Cruz defeated Democratic nomineeMichelle Vallejo in the general election, earning 80,869 votes to Vallejo's 67,913.[5][6][7][8][9] When she took office in 2023, she became only the eighth person to represent this district since its creation in 1903, and the first Republican. By a matter of a few months, she was the second Republican elected from a Rio Grande Valley county in over a century; the first,Mayra Flores, was elected to a partial term in a neighboring district in 2022. De la Cruz is the first Republican elected to a full term after it was redrawn.[10]
De La Cruz ran for re-election in 2024 and facedMichelle Vallejo in the general election.[11] De La Cruz was re-elected by 14 points.[12]
In March 2024, De La Cruz delivered the Republicanresponse to President Joe Biden's2024 State of the Union Address in Spanish.[13]
In June 2024,Politico reported De La Cruz earmarked $2.4 million in taxpayer funds to Angels of Love Advocacy Project, an organization founded by Della Fay Perez— the two were set to appear at a press conference together in late May until Perez was arrested days prior for allegedly stealing $500,000 fromPonzi scheme victims.[14][15]
De La Cruz voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[19][20]
De La Cruz is anEpiscopalian.[21]
De La Cruz has been married and divorced twice and has two children. De La Cruz's split from her second husband in 2021, Juan Gabriel Hernandez, resulted in an acrimonious divorce.[22][23] Her brother, Carlos, is running for the redrawnTexas's 35th congressional district in2026.[24]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 15th congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Women's Caucus 2025–present | |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 310th | Succeeded by |