McALLEN — Dr. Ivan Melendez was among the 110,000 voters in Hidalgo County who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 in a historic swing that amounted to the first time the predominantly Hispanic county has gone for a Republican presidential nominee in more than 50 years.
In the Rio Grande Valley, Melendez serves as the county’s health authority, responsible for enacting health laws in an area with one of the highest uninsured rates in the country.
Naturally, healthcare is a top issue for the top medical official for the region. He cast that vote in large part because he viewed Trump as a major force in expediting the COVID-19 vaccine in early 2020. And after already enduring four years with Trump in the White House, Melendez thought he knew what he was getting with the tempestuous leader.
Today, he regrets that vote.
Melendez says he’s been completely disappointed by Trump because of cuts to federal programs that have gutted health departments in the Valley and made insurance coverage harder to obtain.
“It’s a simple question. When it comes to access to healthcare, am I able to do more now than I was before he became president?” Melendez said. “And the answer is no, I’m doing less.”
But earlier this month, with Election Day approaching, he had yet to decide whether his disillusionment with the Republican party would translate into support for Democrat U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico, a candidate he worried was too far-left.
Melendez, who says he doesn’t identify with a political party, is among the state’s most politically valuable voters. He’s independent, undecided and Hispanic — which is the state’s largest ethnic bloc. Following the trends of Valley voters, Melendez had previously aligned with Democrats, but moved with conservatives in recent elections.
In 2024, exit polls showed 55% of Texas Latinos supported Trump in a massive victory for Republicans who have spent decades wooing those voters. Trump also prevailed over Kamala Harris in 14 out of 18 border counties, which is a number that doubled from the four years prior.
This midterm election, all eyes are back on the Rio Grande Valley’s voters again. Two years of higher prices from tariffs and the war in Iran, coupled with aggressive deportation tactics often targeting Texas’ border, have moved an increasing number of Latinos away from Trump. About a quarter of Hispanic voters who picked Trump say that if they had to do it over, they would not vote for him again, according to a survey by UnidosUS, a nonpartisan Latino civil rights group.
With what is expected to be Texas’ most competitive election in decades, Democrats are unlikely to succeed in their statewide bids without a major surge of Latino support.
But Melendez notes that being anti-Trump doesn’t equate to being against other Republicans running atop the ticket in Texas.
As hundreds of Valley voters were already rushing to the ballot box for early voting, reaching participation levels matching the 2024 presidential election, Melendez was still agonizing over his choice.
“I support the policies on healthcare of Talarico, but I do support some of the more fiscal issues with [Attorney General Ken] Paxton,” Melendez said of the Democratic and Republican candidates for U.S. Senate.
“My soul is torn,” he said.