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The 2022 midterm elections will go down in history as those that opened the doors to Congress for the so-called Generation Z. Democrat and progressive Maxwell Frost drew all the numbers to represent Florida’s 10th district in the House of Representatives. However, the second congressman from this generation could be a young Hispanic Republican called Angelina Támez.
Although a former Democrat, a tragic episode on the southern border made her rethink her entire political ideology. Today she defines herself as a conservative, campaigns for Monica De la Cruz and assures that the Democrats will have to work to win the Latino vote.
In an interview with El American, she spoke about her origins, ideas, current references and anticipated that she is open to a future candidacy.
Angelina Támez, her beginnings as a democrat and the turning point that led her to rethink her world view
Támez explained that she was born and raised in South Texas, in a Christian family, but that her relatives “were very strong Democrats – the ‘Vote Blue No Matter Who’ type of people. I was taught by my abuelos that Republicanos were ‘evil people who only think for themselves and certainly not our people.’”
After years of holding these beliefs, a tragic episode was the turning point for her ideology. “I went my entire life believing that up until the summer of 2020 when I out-ran an attempted trafficking,” she revealed.
“Many consider the event a tragedy, pay me pity for it and expect me to feel the same. However, I have never felt so; it qualified me to take on the world and fulfill my ambition to become a voice for the voiceless – the people left behind. The dream to do so started with walking through the doors of the Hidalgo County GOP. It was there that I had a political awakening when I saw that what I was taught my whole life was incorrect,” she continued.
It was then that Támez discovered that Hispanic Republicans profess the values of “God, family, and country, something I’ve never witnessed come from progressives.”
“From that day forward I got active: I became an avid grassroots campaigner for local Republican candidates, took on protests and advocacy opportunities in south Texas, became a staunch advocate for closed-border and conservative policies, and I never looked back,” she said.
“The Left expects our vote to be in the palm of their hands like it has been for decades,” Latinos’ shift to the Republican Party.
Támez is currently working on Monica De la Cruz’s campaign, and dreams of seeing her alongside Representative Mayra Flores and candidate Cassy García in the halls of Congress, since “are aiding our Hispanic communities in understanding that the Democratic Party does not endorse our values nor care for us.”
“The Left expects our vote to be in the palm of their hands like it has been for decades, but South Texas Republicans will not allow it; we are sending a clear message to the Democrats in Washington that from now on they have to work for their support in our districts,” Angelina Támez told El American.
Possible future candidacy?
When asked whether she would be a candidate in the not so distant future, she replied with a firm “definitely.”
“As a member of Gen Z, I worry for the path my generation will adhere to. I worry for my community’s direction and the endless troubled possibilities to which this Nation may take in the future. I believe that the people of South Texas are tired of being taken for granted by false promises made by political figures who only stand for themselves, not The People. Growing up in an immigrant family with humble beginnings, I’ve seen with my own eyes the policies which stunt my neighborhood’s growth and delay prosperity for every American,” Támez explained.
Her current political reference is someone very similar to her
Finally, Támez said that Mayra Flores is the political figure with whom he most identifies, because “she, like me, came from a Mexican-American household and saw firsthand how neglected the needs of South Texans were under Democratic leadership.”
“Why do our children have to leave South Texas for better opportunity? Why can’t we have that here?” were the words she spoke on election night, after becoming the first Republican to win the congressional seat in 150+ years. Rep. Flores expresses to her constituents of CD34 to never put their Conservative values aside for a political party, and to stand for their faith in God, Family, and Country,” Támez concluded.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
Contacto: [email protected]