Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) is blaming Republicans for the missing brisket.
The congressman running in a competitive race for reelection released a new ad Tuesday accusing Republicans of spiking beef prices with President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
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“Have you seen the price of beef lately?” Gonzalez, a moderate Democrat, says to the camera before serving guests at a barbecue minuscule portions of meat.
“Puras migajas” — pure crumbs — a man in the ad says after receiving a single bite of beef.
Beef prices have steadily increased since 2025 because of numerous factors, including a volatile market for cattle ranchers that has led to a historically low herd. The rise in prices has caused some restaurants to pull brisket from their menus.
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Gonzalez is up against Republican Eric Flores in his majority-Latino district. Trump won the district by more than four percentage points in 2024, but Republicans redrew its boundaries last year to favor Trump by more than 10 percentage points.
Still, Democrats are optimistic about holding the seat, betting that Latino voters who went for Trump in 2024 will swing back toward Democrats this year because of high prices and the president’s immigration agenda.
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