Republicans Flip South Texas Senate Seat

Republican Adam Hinojosa has defeated Democrat incumbent Morgan LaMantia for the Senate District 27 seat. 

LaMantia (D-South Padre Island) narrowly won the seat in a 2022 race against Hinojosa by 659 votes. This time around, Hinojosa came out on top. 

He released a statement declaring victory Tuesday night, calling the results historic.

“Our campaign has changed the balance of power in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley,” said Hinojosa.

Senate District 27 encompasses much of the South Texas coastline, including Bee, San Patricio, Kleberg, Kenedy, Willacy, Cameron, and portions of Nueces and Hidalgo counties.

The race focused heavily on family values, as much of South Texas is projected to be ripe for a Republican flip due to the traditional values held by many of the residents that no longer feature in the Democrat party platform. 

Indeed, former Democrat State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. of Brownsville endorsed Hinojosa over LaMantia, citing their shared pro-life values as a key reason. 

LaMantia received a rating of 30 from the Young Conservatives of Texas for her vote record during the 2023 legislative session. She voted against key family issues such as protections for women’s sports and prohibitions on gender mutilating procedures for minors. 

Hinojosa’s campaign has hit LaMantia on several of those votes as well as votes against border security and individual freedoms.   

In his statement, Hinojosa said of his victory, “The people of this district have rejected the woke absurdity of the left – open borders, boys playing girls sports, sex change operations, and fiscal insanity.”

LaMantia was primarily funded by her family in her re-election bid. Her family owns L&F Distributors, which distributes Budweiser beer in South Texas.

Hinojosa received financial backing from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which backed LaMantia in 2022, as well as Texans United for a Conservative Majority, and the Texas Senate Leadership Fund.

In recent elections, a few South Texas seats have moved from Democrat-held to Republican, including State Rep. Ryan Guillen’s seat in the northern part of the Rio Grande Valley. Guillen, a former Democrat, switched parties ahead of the 2022 election cycle.

Sydnie Henry

A born and bred Texan, Sydnie serves as the Managing Editor for Texas Scorecard. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a B.A. in Government and is utilizing her research and writing skills to spread truth to Texans.