Rio Grande Valley voters explain why the area shifted support to GOP in last election

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• Geoff Bennett:

  The 2024 presidential election saw dramatic shifts to the right in counties across the country.

  Shortly after the election, we brought you a story from the southern border of Texas, a heavily Hispanic area that flipped from blue to red for the first time in generations.

  Judy Woodruff returned to the area for a closer look at what's behind that shift and what it means for divisions in the community. It's part of her series America at a Crossroads.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Luz Ramos was never much into politics. For most of her life, the 28-year-old didn't vote. But last year, she saw her community struggling.

• Luz Ramos, Owner, Papy Donuts:

  Just affording basic necessities was a big thing, milk, eggs, you know, tortillas. Like, that's really a problem, not just for me, but for everybody here.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Over the summer, her young donut shop was on the brink of closing. So, with the presidential election around the corner, Ramos tried what she called a Hail Mary, selling donuts decorated with Trump and Harris icing.

• Luz Ramos:

  So, the Kamala donuts — I only sold one Kamala donut.

• Judy Woodruff:

  You only sold one?

• Luz Ramos:

  Yes, I only sold one.

• Judy Woodruff:

  How many Trump donuts?

• Luz Ramos:

  Trump donuts, I probably refilled that day like anywhere from three to five times.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Around the same time, Ramos said she did more research about the two candidates. She felt Trump would do more to help small businesses like hers and cast the first ballot of her life for him. Trump went on to win all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley, a region Democrats had swept in almost every presidential election since at least the 1920s.

  Historically, the Rio Grande Valley has been known for its tight-knit, working class communities. But some residents say the recent political shifts here have brought to light deep divisions.

  For Ramos, supporting Trump and selling donuts with his name brought backlash, hostile comments on her shop's social media, even death threats. One customer bought a donut and smashed it in front of the store. She ultimately had to get police surveillance.

• Luz Ramos:

  This election was probably the most intense one we have had in so many years that a lot people, like, divided. I know people that don't even talk to their best friends. I know a lot of my clients, they don't they don't like to talk about politics stuff with their family because it turns into a fight.

• Judy Woodruff:

  And President Trump's second-term actions so far have done little to ease divisions here.

• Mam:

  He did make promises and I felt like he kept a lot of his promises. And that's why we voted for him.

• Woman:

  You want to give the tax cut to the super rich on the back of the poor.

• Alexis Uscanga, UTRGV College Republicans:

  Frappuccino?

• Judy Woodruff:

  Alexis Uscanga's family is part of the valley's political shift. He grew up in a household that voted for Democrats. Then, as he got older, he says he came to a realization.

• Alexis Uscanga:

  Every single seat, local seat, is held by a Democrat. Why are we having so many problems where people like myself, young people, wanted to leave the valley? So I faulted the Democrats for the lack of progress in the RGV.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Uscanga started supporting Republicans, and last year, his parents joined him in voting for Trump. But his advocacy came at a personal cost.

• Alexis Uscanga:

  I was very politically silent on campus until 2023 when I started running for student government. And once that happened, people saw that I was a Republican, they started spreading all over campus that I am some danger. I don't openly run and say that I'm like pro-Trump everywhere I go.

  I let people know who I am first before they find out that I am a Republican.

• Richard Cortez, Hidalgo County, Texas, Judge:

  I think both sides have failed.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Including your own party.

• Richard Cortez:

  Absolutely, yes.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Richard Cortez is a Democrat and the top elected official in the valley's biggest county, Hidalgo. He thinks his party lost here for a variety of reasons, the economy, a perception that they'd lost touch on social issues, and the view that President Biden failed to address the border.

• Richard Cortez:

  You have the power to provide leadership. He should be screaming and yelling at Congress to say, hey, we're dealing with all these immigrants coming here. We lost control, because we had so many people coming here seeking asylum.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Cortez agrees that politics have led to painful division in the Rio Grande Valley. He sees it even in his own family.

• Richard Cortez:

  In the past, we had both parties disagreeing on some things, but working together to solve — to solve American problems. Now the debate is not, hey, we have these problems, how do we solve the problem, is, well, wait a minute, are you with them or with us?

• Judy Woodruff:

  In the city of Mercedes, along the eastern edge of Hidalgo County, Skyler Howell and his dad, Jacob, are keenly aware of the split. The Howell family has been in Mercedes for over a century. Multiple generations have entered local politics. And, for the most part, they have been Democrats.

  But, last November, Jacob voted for Donald Trump, while Skyler stayed with the Democrats and went for Harris.

• Skyler Howell (Hidalgo County, Texas, Voter):

  We have never really had a president that's been as vocal or been as non-careful with his rhetoric as President Trump. And I think you have the president of the United States that's encouraging a certain behavior kind of by nature. He was a businessman. He was on TV. He treats politics kind of like entertainment.

• Jacob Howell (Hidalgo County, Texas, Voter):

  That's where I would disagree. And I'd say, well, I don't think we ever had a president that's really been transparent and speaks his mind truly. Is he a little bit outspoken? Yes, but I feel like that's him just speaking his mind, him being truthful and not playing, I would say, these political games.

• Judy Woodruff:

  Another thing they differ on in this town less than 10 miles from the southern border is immigration.

• Skyler Howell:

  For me, what it's really become is how we are treating these immigrants and if we're affording them the due process that they are guaranteed.

• Jacob Howell:

  But it should have never gotten to that issue. It became an issue because of the open borders.

• Skyler Howell:

  A lot of times, they're just people trying to flee the country for a better life. And so I think it's really important that us, as a country, we view them as people that are seeking help.

• Jacob Howell:

  That's something that we do agree on. There's issues where we need to help these people. Now, how they were processed, I feel like, again, closed borders, that shouldn't even been an issue. These people were almost invited over.

• Judy Woodruff:

  You're saying too much is being done for them? Is that what you're saying?

• Jacob Howell:

  Well, I feel that there's only so much — I'm all for the humanitarian, but we also need to take care of Americans as well, and Americans first. There's families that are struggling here in America, here in the Rio Grande Valley as well.

• Judy Woodruff:

  The Howells do agree about the bitterness of the divide here, and that it'll take time to resolve.

• Skyler Howell:

  You won't even see politics on anyone's social media story anymore because they're too afraid of either the backlash or they're too afraid of the argument that's going to happen because of it. We're not heading in the right direction. I think anyone can see that.

• Jacob Howell:

  It's just divided not only this nation, but even the valley in general. I mean, you literally see hate. And I don't see this getting any closer to unification. I really don't. I think right now there's just so much people that are still upset.

• Judy Woodruff:

  But no matter what happens in the community or nationwide, the Howells say their, relationship will stay the same.

• Skyler Howell:

  Me and my dad, we never let politics ever get in between us. And so we're trying take something from to see the other person's point of view. We're trying take something from the discussion, right, rather than just try to debate each other.

• Jacob Howell:

  He's my son and I love him. We have had discussions and debates and there are some differences. But I think we can always agree to disagree, and there's nothing wrong with that. I think that makes things healthy.

• Judy Woodruff:

  For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Judy Woodruff in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.