Texas
Why Texas Latinos voted for Donald Trump | Texas: The Issue Is
Why did Texas Latinos shift toward Trump?
A large percentage of Hispanic voters in Texas supported president-elect Donald Trump in the 2024 election. FOX 26’s Greg Groogan spoke with State Rep. Mano Deayala, R-Houston, about the reason for the shift and if the switch is a fluke or the new norm for Republicans.
Latinos, long considered a foundational component of the Democratic Party’s prospects in the Lone Star State, abandoned the progressive ship in mass during the 2024 election.
Overall, Republicans saw a 28 percent gain among Texas Latinos from 2020 to 2024.
In men, that number was 40 percent.
Republicans hope the staggering shift away from Texas Democrats is permanent.
State Rep. Mano DeAyala, R-Houston, talked with FOX 26’s Greg Groogan about the GOP’s gains.
READ MORE: What went wrong for Democrats on election night? | Texas: The Issue is
Rep. Mano DeAyala: “We’re seeing the voters coming out in droves. For the first time in modern history a Republican president has won the Hispanic vote statewide. That’s amazing.”
Greg Groogan: “That is cataclysmic for the Democrats. It’s landscape changing for Republicans. Is it a one and done? How do you hold that?”
DeAyala: “Well, that’s the concern, is this a one and done? Did the stars align in so many reasons to make this happen? Or is this a progression that we see continuing? I think it’s the latter.”
Groogan: “The Democrats presented a message heavily weighted on abortion rights and failed to defend their policy on the border, failed to defend their policy on transgender issues.”
DeAyala: “It’s this welfare state mentality. It’s this, what am I going to do for you? Not what I can help you do for yourself. It is the, let’s go focus more on those that are here undocumented than the people that are citizens and residents here and the list goes on. All of that resonates. If you have the message and the right message. The truth ultimately prevails, and I think in this election cycle it did.”
Groogan: “Folks would much prefer an environment in which they can thrive and prosper on their own, versus asking for some type of support, aid or handout from the government. Do you agree with that?”
DeAyala: “A vast majority of Texans agree with that. It’s basically when you define American exceptionalism, that’s really what it is. I look in the mirror, I don’t look to the government and that is how I’m going to have my livelihood. The government’s job is to get out of the way and let opportunity abide for us to prosper and succeed. There’s a few, and I called them the kind of the super-educated elite, that feels like they have to play the parent and say I know what’s best for you. Let me let government do this for you. That’s a Band-Aid that’s temporary and usually causes more harm than good.”
READ MORE: 2024 Presidential Election: How Texas voted by county
Groogan: “Our mutual friend Bill King met with some Mexican-American lawmakers from South Texas who felt compelled to remain in the Democratic Party for a while, but said they were tolerated. Their pro-life positions were tolerated within a party that looked down on them because of that. Do you think this opens up an opportunity that [Rep.] Ryan Guillen took?”
DeAyala: “Ryan Guillen didn’t leave his party necessarily, his party left him. And you hear that over and over, you have [Houston State Rep.] Shawn Thierry, who left the Democrat Party and other. What you’re seeing here are are Democrats, especially in South Texas, in the valley, that say, you know what, I align more with the Republican Party, you’re not seeing it the other way around.”
Groogan: “Are Latinos in Texas just tired of waiting?”
DeAyala: “If we as a party do not capitalize on these gains that we had this last cycle, and I don’t mean next election cycle, I mean tomorrow. If we don’t continue to build on that, shame on us.”
You can watch Texas: The Issue Is every Sunday night on TV and anytime on FOX LOCAL.
Saturday started out a bit warm and sticky outside in North Texas, but there will be plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s. Most of the area will stay dry today, but there is a chance for an isolated storm that could reach severe criteria late tonight for counties to the northwest of the metroplex.
Make sure you have an indoor plan for Mother’s Day celebrations tomorrow! Sunday morning will start warm, muggy, and dry for most with the exception of an isolated storm possible along the Red River.
A First Alert Weather Day is in place on Sunday due to a front that will swing across North Texas in the late afternoon through the evening. All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
Once the front moves through, cooler temperatures will settle into the forecast on Monday. However, the cool down won’t last long. A warming trend returns and temperatures climb into the 90’s once again at the end of the next week. Stay tuned!
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
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