Many Hispanic voters in Texas’ historically blue Rio Grande Valley are frustrated with Democratic Party leadership and are aiming to turn the area red on Tuesday, locals told the Daily Caller.

The Valley, which borders northern Mexico and the Rio Grande River, has a predominantly Hispanic population. Many voters in the area have been lifelong Democrats. However, soaring costs in one of the nation’s poorest regions, increasing dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party’s positions on cultural issues, and a more energized GOP are all contributing factors that may be driving these voters to switch their allegiance, the outlet noted further.

The five primary counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley—Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, Zapata, and Cameron—voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

However, in 2020, Trump made significant inroads in all five counties, even winning Zapata County, which marked the first time it had gone red in a century, according to Zapata County Republican Chair Jennifer Thatcher in an interview with the Daily Caller.

“What they want is change,” Thatcher said of Zapata County voters. “Everybody’s tired of the same thing, you know, same empty promises and nothing getting done.”

In 2016, Clinton won Zapata County, which is 94 percent Hispanic, by securing 65 percent of the vote compared to Trump’s 32 percent. However, in 2020, Trump narrowly defeated Biden with a 53-47 margin, gaining approximately 1,000 voters in the 12,000-person county.

This trend was observed throughout the Rio Grande Valley, where Trump garnered an additional 69,493 votes across the five counties from 2016 to 2020. Local Republicans believe he could achieve even greater gains in the upcoming election.

“His support is just really remarkable,” Toni Trevino, Starr County’s Republican Chair, told the outlet. It’s “off the charts, more so than in ‘16 and ‘20.”

Although some voters in the border counties pointed to Trump’s immigration policies, the economy and cost of living appear to be the primary reasons for the shift.

“Things are getting very expensive,” Jorge Bazan, a Starr County voter who said he is a “lifelong Democrat.” “To go to a restaurant, it’s expensive. Expensive groceries.”

Bazan, an employee of a water company, shares that in 2020, a foot of pipe cost his company $8, but now it costs $21.

Prices overall have risen 20% since Jan '21, according to the CPI, but many consumer staples are up 30% to 40% – or more: pic.twitter.com/n2Vx3g0EAx

— E.J. Antoni, Ph.D. (@RealEJAntoni) October 12, 2024

This time around, Trump’s getting his vote. “The economy was better when he was in office,” he said.