Latest news with #DeLaCruz
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harlingen doctor becomes first Democrat to challenge GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz for South Texas congressional seat
Ada Cuellar, a Harlingen-based emergency physician, launched her campaign for Texas' 15th Congressional District on Thursday, becoming the first Democrat to run for the South Texas seat that her party is targeting in the 2026 midterms. Anchored in Hidalgo County along the border and running north to the edge of San Antonio, the district — represented by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg — has been emblematic of Democrats' recent struggles throughout the Rio Grande Valley and with Latino voters generally. De La Cruz first won office in 2022, becoming the first Republican to represent the district after it was redrawn to favor Republicans. The seat has been in Democrats' crosshairs ever since. But South Texas was the epicenter of a national rightward shift in 2024 among Latinos, who make up about three-quarters of the 15th District's eligible voting-age population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. President Donald Trump was the first Republican to win Hidalgo County in decades, improving from a 28% vote share in 2016 to 51% last year. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will likely face an uphill battle. De La Cruz won reelection by 14 points in 2024, despite the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and other national groups targeting it as a potential pickup. The district leans Republican by a 7-point margin, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index. While Cuellar — who has no relation to Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo — is the first candidate to officially announce, Tejano music star Bobby Pulido has also been floated as a potential candidate. Pulido said he planned to enter politics in 2026, and he has been heavily recruited by Democrats, according to Politico. Cuellar lives outside the district boundary, in the district of Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen. She is from Weslaco and went to college in Edinburg. Members of Congress do not have to live in the district they represent, though residing outside the boundaries can open candidates to attacks from their opponents. De La Cruz is the only Texas Republican the DCCC currently lists among its 2026 targets. But the spectre of redistricting, which could put more seats in play and upend the state's political map, is hanging over both parties. South Texas is a key area where Republican map-drawers will likely try to draw friendlier seats by targeting De La Cruz's Democratic neighbors, meaning the contours of the 15th District could change. Under any new map, the district's population is likely to remain overwhelmingly Hispanic — meaning Democrats will need to reverse their recent slide to have any chance of recapturing the seat. Cuellar, a 43-year-old Rio Grande Valley native, believes Latino voters, in particular, were looking for change last cycle as they felt the bite of high costs fueled by inflation. She believes Democrats can position themselves as the party of change in 2026, especially on issues like health care, after Republicans including De La Cruz voted for Medicaid cuts as part of Trump's recently enacted megabill. 'People are frustrated with health care costs, inflation, the economy, how difficult it is to succeed,' Cuellar said. 'And I think a lot of frustrations were directed towards the Democratic Party.' Democrats flipped the U.S. House in 2018 — including through pickups in Texas — largely by talking about Republicans' efforts to quash the Affordable Care Act. Democrats hope to follow a similar playbook in 2026 by homing in on the Medicaid and ACA cuts in the megabill. Groups have been actively recruiting physicians like Cuellar to run for office as part of that pitch. During her campaign, Cuellar said she also plans to discuss the need for a county hospital and more doctors in the district, along with plans to make health care more affordable. Disclosure: Politico has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13–15. The newest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Get your tickets today! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Not now': Why Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz declined Home Run Derby invitation again
Someday Elly De La Cruz wants to participate in the All-Star Home Run Derby. 'The time is going to come,' he said. 'But not now.' For the third time in as many seasons in the big leagues, the Reds young star declined an invitation to participate in the Derby. Elly De La Cruz, who leads the Reds with 18 home runs, again declined to participate in the Home Run Derby during All-Star Game festivities. De La Cruz finished with 25 home runs last season. The grueling nature of the contest, which some past participants suggested had a lingering fatigue effect coming out of the All-Star week, was one factor, he said, as well as the desire to keep his focus on helping the Reds win. Advertisement This time around, the event comes just weeks after the loss of his sister following a long illness. And if he isn't selected to the National League All-Star team, it gives him an opportunity to be home with family for a few days. Reds Pete Rose Hall of Fame Poll: Americans want Pete Rose in baseball's Hall of Fame. 'He has waited long enough' Reds Big Red Machine Padres 'We captured the imagination': Why Big Red Machine secured unique sports, cultural legacy A player is not required to be selected to an All-Star team to be eligible to participate in the Home Run Derby. De La Cruz, who finished third in All-Star fan voting for NL shortstops, reached the halfway point in the season this week hitting .277 with 18 home runs, 55 RBIs and an .862 OPS. He has played in all 81 games. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz declined Home Run Derby invitation
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Reds' National League All-Star Elly De La Cruz says he thinks he can win a Home Run Derby
The Cincinnati Reds shared a clip from ESPN's coverage of the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby, featuring a brief conversation between analyst and former Red Eduardo Perez, son of National Baseball Hall of Famer Tony, and Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, a National League All-Star reserve. "Are you ever going to do (a Home Run Derby)," Perez asks De La Cruz. Advertisement "I would like to do it at some point," De La Cruz replies. "Not now, but at some point I'd like to do it." "Let's get to it," Perez says. "That-a baby. That-a baby." National League shortstop Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds "I think I can win this," De La Cruz continues. "I can win, yeah." Elly De La Cruz has turned down MLB Home Run Derby invitations De La Cruz declined an invitation to participate in the Derby for the third time in three MLB seasons. "The time is going to come," he said, per The Enquirer's Gordon Wittenmyer. "But not now." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds' Elly De La Cruz says he thinks he can win an MLB Home Run Derby
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Rockies intentionally walked Elly De La Cruz three times. Here's how it worked
The Colorado Rockies aren't the first team to intentionally walk Elly De La Cruz, but they did become the first team to effectively avoid his turn in the Cincinnati Reds' lineup three times in one game. For the first time in De La Cruz's career, he was intentionally walked three times in a single game. He became the third player in Reds history to take three automatic passes in one game since intentional walks became a stat in 1955, joining Tucker Barnhart and Eric Davis on the shortlist, according to the Reds. Advertisement Reds Colorado Rockies Chase Burns Cincinnati Reds drop series opener to Colorado Rockies Reds MLB Draft Chase Burns Rhett Lowder 2025 Cincinnati Reds MLB Draft preview: 'There's no one that's off the board for us' Including a first-inning at-bat in which the count ran full, De La Cruz walked four times − also a career first. The only time the Rockies allowed De La Cruz to make contact and put a ball in play? A sinking, line-drive hit eluded a diving Jordan Beck in left field. De La Cruz cruised into third base with his third triple of the year. De La Cruz is an All-Star again. He's hitting .282 with 18 homers, 63 RBI (that's the 14th-most in baseball) and a top-25 OPS in baseball (No. 23 in MLB at .853). When teams take the bat out of his hand, the burden to produce runs is redistributed down the lineup. The burden proved too difficult for a night as the Reds dropped their Friday, July 11, series opener to the Rockies, 3-2, at Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (29) hits a RBI in the seventh inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, Friday, July 11, 2025, at Great American Ball Park in Downtown Cincinnati. Rockies won 3-2. The Reds left 11 runners on base in the game and five of those were in scoring position. Advertisement A disproportionate amount of the burden for offensive production fell to left fielder Austin Hays, who followed De La Cruz in the batting order. After each intentional walk, Hays struck out to end an inning or, in the ninth inning, the game. He accounted for five runners left in scoring position. "You can see why we tried to protect Elly as much as we could," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "Austin had a tough night tonight. We'll take him in that situation all the rest of the year, believe me." Hays hadn't struck out four times in a game since Sept. 10, 2023 Hays is hitting .269 on the season. He leads the club, and even the speedy De La Cruz, in triples (four). He's been a lineup-lengthening catalyst for the Reds, including in the win Thursday, July 10, and Hays' 0-for-5 night at the plate Friday was his first of that kind since the 2023 season. Advertisement Hays and the rest of the Reds faced some good pitching. Along with allowing a lone run via a Noelvi Marte home run, Rockies starter Germán Marquez had a season-high eight strikeouts. The Reds struck out 13 times in total. When Colorado reliever Jake Bird allowed the game-tying run in the seventh inning, the Rockies infield played in and prevented a go-ahead run from crossing on a Matt McLain grounder. In the ninth inning, Rockies closer Victor Vodnik pumped fastballs at the Reds, and plenty of them as he needed 27 pitches to earn his save. Hays fouled off Vodnik's fastest of the night − a 101.4 mph heater − to keep the Reds alive for another pitch. The seventh and final pitch of the at-bat was a slider at 12mph slower than the one that preceded it. Hays swung through it. Ball game over, but he wasn't solely to blame. Advertisement "Marquez was mixing in more of his arsenal all throughout and that last guy (Vodnik), he got a lot of us to 3-2 (counts)," Friedl said. "He's a fastball-heavy guy. Went to his secondary in a lot of 3-2 counts. Just balanced arsenal, kept us off-balance. They've got a lot of good (velocity) there. We know that. They're a velo-heavy team, and just kind of kept us off-balance with the off-speed." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Elly De La Cruz was intentionally walked three times by the Rockies
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
All-Stars Abbott, De La Cruz help Reds beat Marlins 7-2, halt Miami's 11-game road winning streak
CINCINNATI (AP) — Andrew Abbott pitched seven innings of shutout ball a day after being named an All-Star, Elly De La Cruz hit a pair of RBI doubles and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Marlins 7-2 on Wednesday night, snapping Miami's franchise-record 11-game road winning streak. Abbott (8-1) was named to the NL All-Star team on Tuesday, replacing Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Against Miami, Abbott allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out five. The 26-year-old left-hander lost his shutout bid and left the game when Heriberto Hernández hit a two-out RBI single in the eighth. The Reds ended a four-game skid. The Reds scored three runs in the first and fourth innings with De La Cruz hitting RBI doubles in each. Noelvi Marte hit a two-run homer, his fourth of the season, in the fourth. Will Benson added his eighth homer in the eighth. Reds manager Terry Francona moved within three wins of his 2,000th career victory as a manager. Miami's Sandy Alcantara (4-9) gave up nine hits and six runs over five innings. Connor Norby hit his sixth homer of the year off Emilio Pagán in the ninth. Key moment De La Cruz sparked a three-run first inning with an RBI double to get the Reds on the board. Austin Hays and Tyler Stephenson added RBI hits, and the Reds never looked back. Key stat Abbott has given up more than one earned run in just three of his 16 starts this season. Up next Miami's Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.40) pitches against Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo (5-6, 3.58) on Thursday. ___ AP MLB:
