In one of her recent TV ads, Democrat Michelle Vallejo accuses Republican U.S. Rep.
Monica De La Cruz of two unforgivable political sins: jeopardizing Social Security and Medicare, and working against efforts to lower health care and prescription drug prices. The charges are leveled by three women from De La Cruz’s 15th Congressional District, who tell viewers, “In South Texas, you keep your word. That’s why I can’t vote for Monica De La Cruz.
She broke her promises to us.” But De La Cruz hotly disputes the claims, which the ad attributes to proposals from her Republican colleagues aimed at preventing Medicare and Social Security from going broke. De La Cruz said she views the entitlements as “vital lifelines for our seniors.
” The debate is one of several ways in which health care issues are playing an outsized role in one of Texas’ only competitive congressional races this year, even as immigration and the economy remain top of mind for many voters. Beyond Social Security and Medicare, which provide retirement benefits and health coverage to seniors, De La Cruz is also fending off attacks over her support for Texas’ abortion ban, as Vallejo and national Democrats look to seize on backlash sparked by high-profile cases of women leaving the state to receive medical care for life-threatening pregnancy complications. Vallejo, meanwhile, is grappling with her past embrace of Medicare for All, a single-payer system that would provide universal coverage by replaci.