Failed anti-LGBTQ+ immigrant MAGA influencer banned from Texas Republican Party events

A far-right social media influencer whose political career has been fueled more by provocation than by votes complained this week that Texas Republicans have barred her from party events. She also claimed, without evidence, that she was stripped of her ability to vote, allegations that arrive amid a familiar mix of incendiary rhetoric and unverifiable claims.

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Valentina Gomez, who has described herself to her more than 400,000 followers online as a Colombian immigrant and a MAGA conservative, made the assertions in a video posted Wednesday to Instagram. In it, she says the Republican Party of Texas is “so corrupt” that it banned her from party functions after she “expos[ed] the horrible health condition of 84-year-old Congressman John Carter,” the longtime incumbent in Texas’ 31st Congressional District. She also claims she is “under investigation by multiple federal agencies” and alleges that officials “used their power to remove me from the voting rolls,” adding that “they made it illegal for me to cast my vote.”

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The video quickly veers from grievance to exhortation. Gomez urges supporters to “send your mailing ballot to Texas,” describes her campaign as “David versus Goliath,” and asks viewers to “vote me to Congress.” It closes with a pledge to “make Texas the worst place for terrorist Muslims, illegals, and corrupt politicians to live in,” followed by a religious sign-off.

Local Republicans describe a narrower dispute. The Williamson County Sun reported last week that Gomez was barred from county party events following an altercation at a GOP gathering. Party officials told the paper the restriction stemmed from conduct at the event, not from policy disagreements. The report described a confrontation involving Carter, 84, who has represented the district since 2003.

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“Unfortunately, an opportunistic candidate for Congressional District 31 chose to turn this joyous occasion into a campaign gimmick for social media clout,” the Williamson County Republican chair, Michelle Evans, said in a January 27 statement. “The type of self-serving behavior displayed Saturday is unacceptable in this context, and this candidate has been informed that she is no longer permitted to attend our private events or meetings.”

Gomez has offered no evidence to support her claims that she was removed from the voter rolls or placed under federal investigation. Texas election law sets out specific, documented procedures for any change in a voter’s registration status, and election officials have not confirmed any action affecting her eligibility.

The episode follows a familiar pattern. Gomez previously ran as a Republican for Missouri secretary of state in 2024 and lost badly, finishing near the bottom of a crowded primary. That campaign drew national attention for antigay slurs, attacks on transgender people, and inflammatory stunts. LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD has repeatedly documented her posts and videos, saying she used slurs and trafficked in dehumanizing rhetoric that fueled harassment and threats against queer people.

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Meta later disabled her Instagram account for repeated violations of its policies. After her decisive defeat in 2024, Gomez resurfaced in Texas to run for Congress against Carter, bringing the same culture war messaging. In recent videos, she has vowed to “kick every… Muslim out of Texas” and to make the state “free from terrorists and illegals,” rhetoric that has drawn condemnation even within Republican circles.