Monica De La Cruz

Republican Representative of Texas's 15th district

Congresses Served

House Terms

November 11, 1974 (49 years old)

Birthday

First Republican and first woman to represent Texas's 15th congressional district since its creation in 1903
Graduated from James Pace Early College High School and the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in marketing
Studied Spanish at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
Interned for Turner Entertainment and worked for Cartoon Network Latin America before becoming an insurance agent and business owner
Resides in the Rio Grande Valley, where she grew up
Ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 but lost; successfully ran again in 2022 with endorsements from Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Became the second Republican elected from a Rio Grande Valley district in over a century, and the first elected to a full term in modern times
Delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union Address in Spanish
Member of the Republican Main Street Partnership
Serves on the Committee on Financial Services, specifically the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy
Voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel
Has been married and divorced twice and has two children
Is an Episcopalian