Eric Flores, the Republican nominee looking to unseat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, praised President Trump’s “courage” and “patriotism” for launching the war with Iran in a recent interview with San Antonio’s WOAI—even as the conflict has driven up gas prices and grocery costs for the South Texas voters he’s courting.
Just before the Republican midterm convention kicked off in Dallas on Wednesday, Flores, who is scheduled to speak there tonight, was asked whether the war marked a departure from Trump’s “America First” promise to avoid prolonged Middle East conflicts. Flores, a former Army officer still serving with the Texas Army National Guard, defended the president’s decision to strike.
“ So if we look at the, you know, the Iran war, let’s look at what we have been talking about for 40 years—40 years’ worth of presidents who have discussed the potential threat that Iran faces [sic],” Flores said. “President Trump has finally been the first president to have the courage, to have the patriotism, to stand up to that and say, ‘Enough is enough.’”
“We’re tired of Iran threatening a nuclear war,” he added.
The war, which began Feb. 28 when the US and Israel struck Iran, has hit American pocketbooks hard, and proven costly at the pump. The national average price of gasoline surged past $4 a gallon within weeks of the war’s start—a threshold not crossed in more than three years—and has stayed elevated since, averaging $4.28 today according to AAA data.
By one estimate from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the war has cost American households an average of $667 in additional costs so far, with that figure projected to approach $1100 by end of year. The cost of food is up 3% from this time last year, according to the Consumer Price Index.
Courier Texas has previously reported on how the war has squeezed Texas’ cattle industry specifically, with ranchers describing fertilizer costs nearly tripling and fuel and feed prices climbing even as beef prices they receive have fallen. South Texas has a rich history and active presence of cattle ranching.
District 34, in particular, is right in the heart of historic Texas ranching country and includes Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, and Kleberg counties, the latter of which is home to the legendary King Ranch, an 825,000 acre agricultural and beef cattle empire.
Public opinion on the war splits sharply by how closely someone identifies with Trump’s MAGA ricbase. But a majority of Americans, 57%, say going to war with Iran was the wrong decision, according to a July Economist/YouGov poll, and a Pew Research Center survey found six in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war.
Separate YouGov polling found Americans who say gas prices near them are rising “a lot” are far likelier to oppose the war than those who haven’t felt the pinch. Pew similarly found higher gas prices rank as Americans’ single biggest concern about the war’s fallout—ahead of casualties or the risk of a wider conflict. In Texas, a gallon of regular currently sits at $3.83, up from $2.76 this time last year.
That split creates a real risk for Flores in a competitive district that includes independents and persuadable Republicans, particularly as they feel its costs at the pump and in the grocery aisle.
Flores’ full embrace of Trump’s Iran policy tracks with a broader pattern Courier Texas has documented in his campaign—publicly touting the president’s endorsement when it serves him even as his campaign quietly removed “Trump Endorsed” and “Republican” from his own yard signs months earlier.
Affordability has already emerged as a defining fault line in the race for Texas’ 34th District, with Flores’ Democratic opponent Gonzalez leaning into cost-of-living messaging as his central argument for reelection.
