Mexican-born Candidate Pioneers Campaign-as-Career Business Model
New FEC rule to promote DEI is already getting weird.
A recent rule passed by the non-elected Federal Election Commission in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion has taken effect, and one Texas congressional candidate is already close to maxing out the new “candidate salary.”
This new dawn in US politics aligns nicely with the rise of TikTok politicians who can make a comfortable living without winning elections. Proponents said the new rule would help “women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and/or working class.”
Previous campaign finance rules only allowed candidates to draw a salary after they won the primary. The new rule change allows for candidates to start paying themselves a candidate salary using campaign donations as soon as they file. You no longer have to actually win an election to make yourself into a career politician. Former Congresswoman Mayra Flores from Texas is already making the most of this—even turning her campaign into a family business!
2025 Mayra Flores Campaign
First reported by Mark McCaig of The Texas Voice, Mayra Flores, a Texas candidate for congress and formerly the first Mexican-born woman in Congress (something she points out often), has so far paid herself $20,000 in campaign funds as a salary for her current (see fourth) run for office. Salary payments for Flores reached as much as $7,000 a month.
Fiance reports this cycle also show Flores paying members of her family including her mother (Rosalva Flores) and her son (John Michael Vallejo). All in total, she’s paid both herself and her family approximately $24,500 from April to June of this year.
Flores, who was born in Mexico, is running for Texas’ 34th Congressional district.
It would seem that political donors and consultants love promoting and backing Flores as she makes for a good token Hispanic Republican. She is also a real woman, serving up a double-dose of DEI.
However, Flores has a history of heavily under-performing in her political races. For example, despite this being her fourth run for office, over half of voters are still undecided about voting for her and 30% have never even heard of Flores:
But this of course is no bother as she is using donations for her run for office to pay herself and family members a healthy salary. It appears that the maximum candidate salary allowed under the new rule is about $7,250 per month.
You may be shocked to see how much Flores and her family made during her last failed run for office:
2023-2024 Mayra Flores Campaign
According to Federal Election Commission reports, the 2023-2024 Mayra Flores for Congress campaign paid out a total of $151,152.63 in wages and reimbursements to people with the last name of “Flores” which includes herself, her mother and sister, and one other person we were unable to confirm was a family member.
Additionally, 2023-2024 payments to persons with the last name “Vallejo” totaled $19,500. Payments of $16,500 in “canvassing” and “blockwalking” were made to her son, John Michael Vallejo, and a “Michael Vallejo”, both out of San Benito. These payments were for four months of work. Another $3,000 was made to someone with the name Alex Vallejo, when Current Revolt asked Flores if this was another family member we received no response.
In total, the 2023-2024 Mayra Flores campaign paid out approximately $170,652.63 in salaries and reimbursements to those sharing the last name of “Flores” and “Vallejo.”
Before she was a forever candidate, Flores worked as a “respiratory therapist,” a job that normally pays about $6–7k a month. However, Flores managed to earn $7k a month for herself, and an extra amount for her family in the most recent reports by cutting checks to everyone. It’s a neat trick, for sure.
People said they were tired of career politicians so now we also have career candidates.
Current Revolt reached out to the Mayra Flores campaign multiple times for comment on her and her family’s salary payments, but we received no response.
Flores made national news last year after Current Revolt reported on Flores passing other people’s food photos as her own in a scandal that many referred to as #GRUBGATE.
How long till you can learn how to do this at community college?
Fools and their money are soon parted