Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative eight-term Democratic congressman, is headed to a runoff in his rematch against progressive primary challenger Jessica Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration attorney, who previously challenged the congressman in 2020 and lost by less than four points. The district was redrawn last year and now includes more of deep-blue San Antonio, which gave Cisneros a boost.
But neither Cuellar and Cisneros cleared the necessary 50% of the vote to win the primary outright due to candidate Tannya Benavides siphoning off a share of the vote, sending the two into a May 24 runoff election.
Cuellar has served in elected office in Texas for most of the last 35 years and has represented Texas' 28th District since 2005. The majority-Hispanic district, anchored in Laredo on the US-Mexico border, stretches from the Rio Grande Valley up to the San Antonio area.
In the past several years, the congressman has been one of the few Democrats to vote against marijuana legalization bills, the Protect the Right to Organize Act, and the Women's Health Protection Act, which would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into law.
Like Cuellar, Cisneros is a first-generation Mexican-American born to farmworkers, but her politics are a sharp departure from the incumbent's. Cisneros is running on a platform that includes Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, implementing the Green New Deal, promoting reproductive rights, and overhauling the nation's immigration system.
She's aggressively portraying Cuellar as an entrenched politician beholden to corporate interests and out of step with the constituents they represent. She's seeking to join Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman of New York, among the progressives who unseated long-serving incumbent Democrats. All are backed by the group Justice Democrats, which supports progressives for office.
And more information about Cuellar's role in the FBI's Azerbaijan probe could emerge in the 12 weeks before he and Cisneros face off again in late May.
Cisneros is endorsed by powerful progressive heavyweights including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Ocasio-Cortez, the latter two of whom have campaigned for her in Texas. In addition to Justice Democrats, Cisneros is also backed by groups including EMILY's List, Planned Parenthood Action, and NARAL Pro-Choice Action.
Still, as Politico noted, unseating a South Texas political institution like Cuellar will be an uphill battle for Cisneros given the political lean of the district, Cuellar and his family's decades-long presence and stature in the area, and the incumbent's nearly two-to-one spending advantage.
While Cisneros hammers Cuellar on his ties to big special interests, Cuellar has sought to tie Cisneros to political slogans like "abolish ICE" and "defund the police," a potentially potent strategy in a region where US Customs and Border Patrol is a top employer.
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So far this cycle, Cuellar has raised nearly $2 million, spent $2.3 million, and has $1.5 million in cash on hand while Cisneros has raised $1.5 million, spent $1.1 million, and has around $400,000 in cash on hand.
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