Eric Flores

Eric Flores grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Fox News, which describes him as a Spanish speaker; The Texas Tribune also calls him a native of the Valley.[3][5] He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Texas Southern University.[1] Flores was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer and rose to the rank of captain, according to Fox News. He later served in the Texas Army National Guard, where he commanded soldiers during Operation Guardian Support on the southern border.[3][1]

Flores served as a city attorney and municipal judge, including as a municipal judge in Alton, Texas, before joining the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.[2][3][5] From 2021 to early 2025 he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the McAllen Criminal Division, according to The Texas Tribune, where KRGV reports he prosecuted members of cartel-connected and human-smuggling networks. His campaign biography, as quoted by Fox News, says he secured the conviction of a fugitive on Texas's "Top Ten" most-wanted list and received two U.S. Attorney's Awards.[5][2][3][1]

Flores is a partner at O'Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo, a statewide law firm, where he leads the litigation department defending municipalities and school districts across Texas.[2][3] The Texas Tribune describes him as a lawyer from Mission who announced his run for the 34th District in July 2025. Fox News reports he is married with two children, and he advanced from the March 3, 2026 Republican primary.[5][3][1] During the campaign, he said he was running to secure the border, lower costs, and improve infrastructure.[1][2][3] He received 39.8% of the vote to Vicente Gonzalez's 55.6%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[4]