Three weeks from the November elections, both candidates for District 15 are attempting to land their first seat in public office.

Democratic candidate for District 15, Michelle Vallejo, spoke to Channel 5 from Los Portales pulga in Alton, which she co-owns. 

"So many people here have to work every single day of their life, and work three, four, sometimes even five jobs to make ends meet, Vallejo said.

Vallejo is focusing her words on the availability of healthcare and abortion access.

"We'll continue standing up for women's rights, and I'll continue standing up and fighting for the rights of South Texans to have access to healthcare that they deserve," Vallejo said. 

Republican candidate for District 15, Monica De La Cruz did not accept to interview with Channel 5, but in a Sept. 26 phone call, De La Cruz's focus was immigration. 

"As a mom and a small business owner, I'm a leader in the Rio Grande Valley's business community," De La Cruz said. "I'm very deeply troubled by the devastating impact that the Biden broken border crisis is having on our people."

De la Cruz's main drive for voters this election will be the gains the Republican Party has seen in the Valley already. 

"We will have even more voters in South Texas vote Republican," De La Cruz said. "What the 2020 election did was help awaken people to how the values of South Texas align with the Republican Party."

De La Cruz argues that immigration will impact the economy. She says the White House is turning a blind eye to the historic numbers of people crossing the border. 

"As our nation faces historic levels of inflation, the last thing we need to be doing is driving down wages," De La Cruz said. "And that's exactly what illegal immigration does to American workers."

Vallejo won't offer an answer on how to deter the thousands of people who are crossing the border illegally each day, and the deaths that come with it. She says asylum and citizenship reforms are key. 

"It's a tragedy to see how many people are putting themselves in very dangerous situations in order to reach refuge," Vallejo said. "There needs to be more investments and more care when it comes to people having access to asylum. We need more judges in our immigration courts to be able to meet the need. We also need an investment in pathways to citizenship."

There are no plans on whether these two candidates will debate before election day, but De La Cruz made it clear that she is not making herself available. 

"My opponent and I shared a stage earlier this year in the primary, and I know that there are discussions of looking into this for the future," De La Cruz said.

Vallejo is making herself available to debate.

"I'm ready," Vallejo said. "We've accepted every single invitation, and we've invited and challenged my opponent to a debate about 40 days ago or more, and if they're still working on it, then it makes me very concerned about anything they could accomplish for our families in South Texas."

Election day is only three weeks away.