Monica De La Cruz
RepublicanU.S. Representative, TX-15| Age | 51 (b. 1974-11-11) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2023-01-03 (~3 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latina (Mexican American descent) |
| Religion | Christian (Episcopalian) |
| Education | James Pace Early College High School (Brownsville, TX); B.B.A. in Marketing, University of Texas at San Antonio; studied Spanish at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City |
| Prior occupation | Insurance agent and small-business owner; earlier worked for Turner Entertainment / Cartoon Network Latin America |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Brownsville, Texas |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Marital status | Divorced — Johnny Hernández (Juan Gabriel Hernández) (married 2015, divorced 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Edinburg, Texas (Hidalgo County), Texas's 15th district |
| Notable relatives | Brother Carlos De La Cruz, a retired Air Force veteran and 2026 Republican nominee for Texas's 35th congressional district |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2022 |
| Committees | House Committee on Agriculture (Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit; Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture) · House Committee on Financial Services (Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Hispanic Conference (Vice Chair of Communications) · Republican Main Street Partnership · Congressional Western Caucus |
| Leadership | Chair, Congressional Women's Caucus (2025–present) · Vice Chair of Communications, Congressional Hispanic Conference |
| Ideology | Republican; campaigns as a border-security and pro-Israel conservative, though aligned with the more centrist Republican Main Street Partnership and co-sponsored the bipartisan Dignity Act on immigration |
| Signature legislation | Co-sponsor of the bipartisan Dignity Act (immigration reform), 2025–2026 · Sponsored anti-fentanyl trafficking legislation signed into law (cited as first bill from her South Texas community signed into law in nearly 20 years) |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| Commercial rental property (Texas) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Residential rental property (Texas) | real_estate · $250,001–$500,000 · 2023 |
| Residential rental property (Texas) | real_estate · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
| New York Life 401(k) | fund · $15,001–$50,000 · 2023 |
| Traditional IRA | fund · $15,001–$50,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) ($57,406) · Energy Transfer Partners ($19,100) · Listos Properties ($16,500)
Top industries: Agriculture · Financial Services / Securities & Investment · Real Estate · Oil & Gas · Insurance
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.