Free Republic

McALLEN — The new 25th Congressional District has been described as the "bacon-strip" district. But some who live at the southernmost tip tend to see it as a "fajita strip." And that pretty much sums up the district’s cultural diversity. In the northern part, which stretches to Austin, the demographics show a predominantly Anglo population with a higher income average and higher education levels. But travel south in the district about 350 miles and you’ll find a mainly Mexican-American population still struggling to overcome language barriers, low employment rates and one of the lowest per capita income rates in the...

RIO GRANDE CITY — Judging by the crowd at Las Lomas, a colonia in one of the nation's poorest counties, no one would have guessed that a majority of local elected officials already had endorsed Leticia Hinojosa's opponent for Congress. The event was billed as a forum for the two Democrats, but when it came time to start, the crowd was chanting only, "Leticia! Leticia! Leticia!" "Hola, chulas (Hi, cuties)," the former state district judge told a pair of young girls who greeted her as they would a favorite tía. A representative for her opponent, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin,...