In South Texas congressional race, Monica De La Cruz and Michelle Vallejo spar over health care

Democratic challenger Michelle Vallejo accuses Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz of jeopardizing Social Security and Medicare .

The Democratic challenger is fending off attacks over her support for Texas ’ abortion ban.

The 15th Congressional District is one of Texas ' only competitive congressional races this year .

Health care has proven to be a potent political issue in past elections.

De La Cruz says she has sought to expand health care access by signing onto bills aimed at bolstering telehealth access for rural residents needing specialty care and eliminating wait periods for breast cancer patients to access benefits.

A study published earlier this month by University of Texas at Austin researchers found that Latino voters are driven by health care and the economy more than any other issues.

Monica De La Cruz previously ran for Congress touting her anti-abortion views.

If elected, Vallejo says she wants to “restore the rights guaranteed to women for more than 50 years under Roe v. Wade ,” which protected abortion until the point when a fetus can survive outside the womb — around 22 to 24 weeks .