Pro-abortion organizations are working to unseat pro-life Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents Texas’ 28th congressional district, ahead of the Supreme Court ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. A leaked draft opinion from the case this month showed the Justices poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
On Tuesday, voters in the south Texas congressional district will choose between Cuellar and his other Democratic opponent, pro-abortion advocate Jessica Cisneros. Cisneros is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Emily’s List and Feminist Majority.
CBS News reported that the runoff election came after neither candidate broke the 50 percent threshold back in March.
“The race figures to test the strength of the abortion rights movement among more conservative Latino voters,” the report added.
In a published statement this month, Cisneros called Cuellar “the last anti-choice Democrat” and said that she will defeat him.
Cuellar previously voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), a piece of legislation that would codify Roe into law. Democratic pro-life Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) also voted against WHPA.
A state representative from Cuellar’s district, state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond, told Vox that Cisneros saying “we need to kick him [Cuellar] out of office because he’s not in favor of abortion” will not get very far.
“I don’t see that being the deciding factor,” Raymond added.
Cisneros, who is a human rights lawyer, is endorsed by prominent pro-abortion Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY).
In December, I covered how Cuellar told The New York Times that Vice President Kamala Harris ignored his concerns about the border crisis.
"Representative Henry Cuellar, a moderate from Texas and one of the more prominent voices on border issues in the Democratic Party, said his experiences with Ms. Harris’s team had been disappointing. When Mr. Cuellar heard Ms. Harris was traveling to the border in June, he had his staff call her office to offer help and advice for her visit. He never received a call back.
‘I say this very respectfully to her: I moved on,’ Mr. Cuellar said. ‘She was tasked with that job, it doesn’t look like she’s very interested in this, so we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue.’
In the future, Mr. Cuellar said he would go straight to the West Wing with his concerns on migration rather than the vice president’s office.
Of the White House, Mr. Cuellar said, ‘at least they talk to you.’"