(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) A sheriff candidate in a Texas border county that has never voted Republican in a presidential election said on Aug. 9, 2024, that he was shocked when he discovered that many people who live there plan to support Donald Trump this November.
Fox News reported that voters in Starr County, Texas – which is over 97% Hispanic or Latino – have overwhelmingly supported Democrats in the last century, with 86% of them voting for Barack Obama in 2012. However, in 2020, voters started massively leaving the Democratic Party, which resulted in Joe Biden grabbing 52% of the vote.
This year, the county could make a historic shift.
“I’ve been doing door-to-door campaigning in all pockets of this county. I am just shocked [by] the number of people that just volunteer that they’re going to vote for Trump,” Starr County Republican sheriff candidate Alberto Olivares said.
Olivares, a former Democrat himself, said that even though Latinos have been historically conservative, they were identifying themselves as Democrats for many generations “for some reason.”
“We believe in God and supporting the family. We want a secure border, supporting our police officers, fiscal responsibilities. So we’re conservatives,” he said.
Olivares said that, in addition to the invasion from the southern border, people in his community feel the “financial squeeze.”
“Border security being so close here is a very important issue. But so is the economy. And people are just struggling,” he said.
Olivares, a former Border Patrol agent, said he decided to run for sheriff because “enough is enough,” adding that the county had a Republican sheriff 118 years ago.
“I never dreamed of being a politician by any means, but enough is enough, and we need some real leadership in the sheriff’s office here. We need to increase security for the people. And I think I’m the right guy for the job,” he said.
