McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, won a fifth term in Congress on Tuesday night, fending off a repeat challenge by Republican Mayra Flores in Texas' 34th Congressional District, which is trending more toward the GOP. Trump carries all Rio Grande Valley border counties Gonzalez received 51.28% of the votes compared to 48.72% for Flores in the border district that stretches to the Gulf of Mexico and areas south of Corpus Christi, according to the Texas Secretary of State's office. Texas Congressional District 34 includes five counties from the border with Mexico to Kleberg County. (KXAN Graphic) That's a much closer margin than in 2020 when Flores tried to stop Gonzalez from a fourth term and she received 44.2%, or 59,464 votes, to 52% or 70,896 for Gonzalez. GOP Congresswoman De La Cruz secures 2nd term For most of Tuesday night, the race was too close to call. Mayra Flores and U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. But with 100 percent of the five-county district reporting election results by Wednesday, it was clear that Gonzalez had won a fifth term. It also was obvious that voters came out to the polls in record numbers for this election. Gonzalez earned a total of 102,598 votes, compared to 97,465 for Flores. Those vote totals are about two-thirds higher than the vote totals they received in 2022. In Cameron County, which includes the border city of Brownsville, Gonzalez narrowly beat Flores by a slim margin of just 508 votes, according to the Secretary of State's office. Democrat Henry Cuellar wins reelection to U.S. House in Texas’ 28th Congressional District But Flores beat Gonzalez by nearly 1,500 votes in the northern district county of Kleberg. That's a trend that was seen by GOP candidates throughout South Texas races this cycle: Northern counties tended to vote more conservative and illegal immigration was an issue that drove them to the polls. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley political science professor Andrew Smith tells Border Report the race was much closer than expected. "In what should have been reliably blue district for somebody like Vicente Gonzalez, who is pretty conservative, he barely survived against Mayra Flores," Smith said Wednesday. "Flores ran a solid enough campaign. Wouldn't surprise me if she managed to beat him in 2026 because I don't know if this trend towards the Republican Party is going to stop anytime soon," Smith added. It's unclear whether Flores will attempt a third run at Gonzalez. On Wednesday on X, she posted: "The spirit of humanity is resilient, and our capacity for kindness and empathy knows no bounds. As we look ahead, let us embrace the opportunities that await us with open hearts and minds, confident that together, we can create a future filled with prosperity, and peace. The best is yet to come, and it is ours to shape." After his win, Gonzalez posted on X: "Thank you #SouthTexas! The people of South Texas have spoken. They have chosen someone with a track record of bringing vital resources to South Texas." He went on to say "I hope all of us can come together and work for the betterment of all South Texans and Americans, regardless of political affiliation." Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].