Dr. Ivan Melendez, the health authority for Hidalgo County in McAllen, was one of about 110,000 county voters who backed Donald Trump in 2024. The predominantly Hispanic county had not voted for a Republican presidential nominee in more than 50 years before that election. Melendez said he chose Trump in part because he credited him with speeding the COVID-19 vaccine in early 2020.
Melendez now says he regrets that vote. He told The Texas Tribune that federal program cuts have weakened health departments in the Rio Grande Valley and made insurance harder to get. He said he is doing less to expand access to health care than before Trump took office.
As of earlier this month, Melendez had not decided whether he would support Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico. He said he worried Talarico was too far left. Melendez, who does not identify with a political party, described himself as independent, undecided and Hispanic.