Mayra Flores: Democratic Party not representing values of Hispanic community in Texas
Newly-elected GOP congresswoman Mayra Flores tells "America Reports" she is fighting for the values of south Texans that Democrats have long forgotten.
Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, hit back at a New York Times article referring to her as a "far-right Latina," saying the newspaper "knows nothing about me or our culture."
"I am proud of my culture and my beautiful family," Flores told Fox News Digital in a text.
"I was born in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and raised with strong Conservative values to always put God and Family first. I have received only hate from the liberal media and constantly [been] told by the left to go back to Mexico. They don't support us immigrants, they only use us for political power and don't care about our well-being. I am here now and I won't allow them to continue taking advantage of my people. The NYT knows nothing about me or our culture. Somos gente de Dios, Familia y Travajo [We are people of God, Family and Work], Si Señor!" she wrote.
The Times article, written by national politics reporter Jennifer Medina, focused on Flores and two other Texas Latina GOP candidates' faith, pro-life views, support for stronger border security and former President Trump, seemingly referring to them as views the "far-right" "extreme" shares.
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The paper also noted Flores would not say if President Biden was legitimately elected president and has shared QAnon hashtags; she has responded that she does not support the latter conspiracy theory and only used the hashtag to "reach more people." It also dinged her for once retweeting a post that called the Jan. 6 riot a "setup" by the far-left group Antifa.
"Representative Mayra Flores is one of three Republican Latinas vying to transform South Texas politics by shunning moderates and often embracing the extreme," Medina wrote. She went on to list their shared "right-wing views on immigration, the 2020 election and abortion," as some of her examples.
Rep. Mayra Flores stands with her family and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after being sworn in on June 21, 2022 in Washington. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Asked for comment on criticism of the story, a New York Times spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Our story chronicles the rise of Representative Mayra Flores in Texas and her association and amplification of far-right messages and ideology from amplifying QAnon to spreading misinformation about the 2020 election."
Flores is the first Republican Latina ever elected to Congress from Texas, and she is also the first female Mexican-born member of the House of Representatives. After winning a special election for the 34th Congressional District, she will face an uphill battle in November against current 15th Congressional District Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, after a newly redrawn map favoring him.
Conservatives pushed back on the notion that these candidates' traditional conservative beliefs were radical.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' Press Secretary Christina Pushaw tweeted, "Everyone who disagrees with the legacy media Stalinists is 'far-right' and 'extreme.'"
She also mocked the paper's characterization of what views the "far-right" embraced.
Substack journalist and frequent media critic Glenn Greenwald also claimed the media had drifted from framing the GOP as a White nationalist party under Trump to worrying he gave rise to the "far-right Latina."
National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Michael McAdams slammed the paper for "trying to paint [Flores] as an extremist."
"Liberals hate that she represents a threat to their failed status quo," he wrote in a tweet.
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Communications strategist and political writer Giancarlo Sopo also hit the paper for their characterization of Flores and fellow Republican candidate Cassy Garcia as "far-right Latinas."
He compared the Times' coverage of left-wing Democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to the two Republican candidates.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington on July 1, 2018. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images/Illustration)
Hispanic supporters of Republican Glenn Youngkin react as Fox News declares him the winner over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor's race on Nov. 3, 2021. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz TPX)
Texas Republican Chip Roy agreed there was a double standard, writing, "So who are the ones who REALLY stereotype Hispanic voters?"
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Republican candidate running to represent Texas' 28th Congressional District Cassy Garcia called out the paper's "smear."
"When the Radical Left smears me for my faith and supporting school choice, they're not just attacking me. They're attacking millions of Hispanic families and my community. #TX28," she tweeted.
The negative New York Times piece comes as President Biden's support among Hispanics has dropped to just 26%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll in May.
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This story was updated with a response from the New York Times.