Free Republic

The special election in Texas’s Thirty-fourth Congressional District, slated to happen on June 14 to fill the vacant House seat left by U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela’s (D-TX) retirement, is rated as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report, meaning the race could go either to the Democrat or the Republican. The Cook Political Report rated the “toss-up,” noting that Vela’s retirement did not help the Democrats, especially since Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), who ditched his district, was hoping to slide into this congressional seat.

BROWNSVILLE - The Rio Grande Valley's newest congressman is vowing to make the Obama administration aware of the security problems plaguing the region. Filemon Vela Jr. on Tuesday was elected to the newly created 34th Congressional District. He said the border region has changed and Washington needs to get that message. "We used to go eat (in Mexico) - once, maybe twice a week. We used to take people to shop ... people would come in from out of town. It was a very fun thing to do," he said at the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville. "That's a part...