Cuellar, Cisneros head to Democratic runoff in Texas

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and progressive favorite Jessica Cisneros are heading to a runoff in Texas’s 28th Congressional District, The Associated Press projected, after neither of the leading candidates secured 50 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

The race’s runoff status shows that Cuellar, the incumbent, is on shaky ground after serving nine terms in the seat. Results show that Cisneros outperformed her 2020 primary performance, when she lost to Cuellar by just under 4 points. 

Cuellar’s involvement in an FBI investigation into ties between Azerbaijan and U.S. businessmen has recently shaken up the dynamics in the race. Cuellar’s home and campaign offices were raided by the FBI last month, which the Cisneros campaign pounced on in an ad attack.

Cisneros and her allies used the raid to argue that Cuellar was out of touch with the district and had too many ties to special interests. Cuellar denied any wrongdoing and said he was cooperating with authorities, but unlike in past elections, Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill did not campaign for him.

Regardless of who wins the runoff, Republicans say they are comfortable running against either candidate, citing Cisneros’s progressives politics in the increasingly conservative district and the FBI investigation involving Cuellar. The National Republican Congressional Committee included the district on its initial 2022 target list, pointing to President Biden’s narrow margin of victory in the district.