RedState reported Tuesday on the desperation levels that have been on full display from Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) in recent weeks as we move closer to the 2022 midterm elections and the drubbing House Democrats are expected to receive thanks in no small part to the unpopularity of President Biden.

Gonzalez has found himself on the hot seat with some uncomfortable questions coming his way after an NBC News investigation uncovered that he was paying local blogger Jerry McHale for attacks on Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas), Gonzalez’s general election opponent, attacks that upon closer inspection of McHale’s website ranged from grossly questioning her authenticity and Hispanic heritage to degrading her as a woman and sexually objectifying her:

This is the vile garbage that Democrat Vicente Gonzalez is paying a blogger to write about @MayraFlores2022.

What an absolutely repulsive, sniveling coward.

Where I'm from, we'd call him poco hombre. https://t.co/GOzYb4kroN pic.twitter.com/tFdLuJ9kbS

— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) July 19, 2022

The response to the original report was a tepid condemnation that came from Gonzalez’s campaign manager Collin Steele who stated that “Of course, the congressman is against referring to Rep. Flores as ‘Miss Frijoles’ or a ‘cotton-picking liar.'”

Though it doesn’t appear any of the major cable news networks here in the U.S. picked up on the story, Telemundo tracked down Gonzalez himself in order to get him on the record. Gonzalez told their reporter Cristina Londono that those types of derogatory posts “would never happen again.” But he then proceeded to step in it yet again when he told her “if someone is offended, I apologize to them,” and then proclaimed that the posts did not come from him “personally.”

Watch:

WATCH as @VoteVicente admits to having editorial control over vile sexual, racist, anti-immigrant blogs published against @MayraFlores2022: "that will never happen again". Credit to @CristinaLondono, @TelemundoNews who were the only network newscast to report. pic.twitter.com/dk0sUXGfNk

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 20, 2022

Essentially saying “I apologize if you were offended” is not a genuine apology, folks. Gonzalez’s tapdancing around the issue and issuing a non-apology “apology” is not going to play well in South Texas, in my opinion.

And as I said in my prior write-up, anyone who is “surprised” that Gonzalez would be paying this clown doesn’t know Democrats very well. Gonzalez himself has launched attacks on the authenticity of Flores’ heritage. Also, there are the numerous other recent incidents where these types of gutter attacks from Democrats against minority Republicans have taken center stage in Congressional campaigns, including DCCC-approved nominee Jay Chen, who has repeatedly mocked Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) over her Asian-American accent.

As for Flores, she is still rising above and kicking bootie despite the media-fueled attacks on who she is, issuing this statement scorching Gonzalez for his hiring of McHale, and noting it would not distract her from what she was elected to do:

✉️INBOX: @MayraFlores2022 says she will not be distracted by Vicente Gonzalez or the creepy sicario he hired to sexually degrade her.

"He doesn't have a record to stand on, so he hires a pervert to attack me. It's truly sick!"

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/aislrEZbj6

— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) July 19, 2022

Definitely keep this race on your “one to watch” list. Thanks to redistricting, Texas’ 34th Congressional district is now considered more “Democrat-friendly” (which is why Gonzalez is running in it now instead of the 15th, which he currently represents) so if Flores wins in November, it will shut down a lot of the “her June special election victory was a fluke!” talk from The Usual Suspects who remain in denial about the continuing exodus of minority voters from their party.

As always, stay tuned!

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