While I am sure that self preservation has a lot to do with it, keep in mind that the RGV is nearly Democrat central in Texas (after the big cities).
There is a long tradition of Texas democrats being fiscally conservative but socially liberal.
This guy sounds like a Latino version of the East Texas democrats, that finally woke up and realized that the party has left him high and dry.
I will give him a chance ... knowing that he will be to the political right of all the democrat leftists, and to the political left from me.