To hell with Henry Cuellar

Friend, Tuesday night’s primaries in Texas brought us some amazing news: Progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros has forced Rep. Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, into a runoff! The results show Cuellar chalking up a narrow 48-47 edge—an outcome that was only possible thanks to your generous donations and volunteer hours, and one that means Cisneros has every chance of overtaking the incumbent when the two meet again on May 24. That gives us 12 weeks to finish what we’ve started when Daily Kos endorsed Cisneros last year, and she needs your help more than ever. [Can you donate $3 right now to help a fantastic progressive unseat a dangerous Democrat who could jeopardize our hold on a key House seat?]( [DONATE]( Cuellar’s reactionary record is as long as it is appalling, and we’ll get to that. But the most worrying thing about him right now is the fact that he’s [under investigation by the FBI](, which raided both his home and his campaign headquarters in January. Astonishingly, we still don’t know the reason for the probe, except that it reportedly concerns the congressman’s ties to the oil-rich former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan, whose government [has sponsored sketchy trips]( to the country for U.S. lawmakers and their staffs. This means there’s an axe swinging over Cuellar’s head—one that could drop at any moment. And that’s a risk Democrats simply cannot afford. The district Cuellar currently represents, the 28th in South Texas, isn’t one we can take for granted. This heavily Latino are has shifted to the right, and as a result, the recently redrawn district would have voted for Joe Biden by just a 53-46 margin. If Cuellar were to get indicted, Republicans would have a field day exploiting his corruption if he were the nominee—and could flip this seat as a result. We simply cannot allow that to happen. Fortunately, Cisneros is a far safer choice. She’s a human rights attorney and daughter of working-class immigrants from Mexico who will fight for a pathway to citizenship, universal health care, an assault weapons ban, expanding Social Security, and protecting reproductive rights. She’ll be the voice the people of South Texas so badly need—a far cry from Cuellar, whose career has been devoted to protecting the interests of the extremely wealthy. Just how out-of-step is Cuellar? - He’s received major support from the [private prison industry](, [defense contractors](, [the Koch network](, and [anti-choice dark money groups](. - His shilling for the energy industry, including repeated votes to gut environmental regulations, [has earned him the nickname]( “Big Oil’s favorite Democrat.” - He holds [an A rating from the NRA]( and has [refused to give back]( the $29,000 the group has donated to him over the years. - He [endorsed George W. Bush’s]( presidential campaign and [fundraised for]( a vulnerable Republican colleague when Democrats sought to take back the House in 2018. - He [voted with Trump]( 69% of the time during Trump’s first two years in office, [including twice]( to build his absurd wall—which would run through Cuellar’s own district on the Southern border with Mexico. And, we must note, he’s the last Democrat in the House who opposes women’s reproductive rights. Even with abortion now all but illegal in Texas, Cuellar not long ago sneered that access to the procedure is “not a health issue.” And when he made his first public appearance after the FBI raid on his home, it was to accept an award from an anti-choice group called “Democrats for Life.” But despite the dangerous risk Cuellar poses to Democrats’ chances of holding this seat, his deep-pocketed allies spent seven figures to aid him prior to the primary and are standing by to help him again. Only grassroots power can stand in their way. We have just shy of three more months to do whatever we can to support progressive values and root out corruption in our own ranks. [Please rush $3 to Jessica Cisneros now so that she can defeat the last anti-choice Democrat in the House!]( [DONATE]( Thank you, David Nir, Political Director Daily Kos If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. (Please note that we may be slow to process checks during the coronavirus outbreak.) Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.