The Democratic Primary
May 23, 2022
The Democratic runoff for the 28th Congressional District in Texas will be a rematch from two years ago, when then-progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros lost against incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar. In March, Rep. Cuellar and Cisneros advanced to the runoff after a close race that saw both finish below the 50% threshold necessary to secure the nomination.
Rep. Henry Cuellar has been endorsed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the House Democratic leadership, while Jessica Cisneros has been endorsed by Justice Democrats and progressives such as Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, as well as by “Squad” members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Ayanna Pressley, etc. The two candidates have substantial differences in some of the policies that they have laid out and supported in the past, including on important issues dear to the Jewish community.
In light of their positions, statements, and political allies, it is clear that the May 24 Democratic primary will be very consequential. The question will be whether Texas’ 28th District will continue to be represented by a fairly centrist and leadership-backed Democratic official or by a candidate that seems much more aligned with the far-left “Squad” on the issues.
The Jewish Political Guide does not endorse any particular candidate for office but rather provides issue education and serves as a frontline resource to better protect and prepare both candidates and voters on issues affecting the Jewish Community.
Let’s explore their positions and some of the key differences.
Rep. Henry Cuellar
In February 2022, came out against an Amnesty’s report which accused Israel of apartheid, stating that “Israel is not an apartheid state – full stop,” and that “these inaccuracies incite antisemitic behavior against the Jewish people.”
In December 2021, Rep. Cuellar spearheaded a bipartisan letter to Secretary Blinken highlighting the threat of Iran’s nuclear advancements. The letter stated that Iran “must comply with international nuclear obligations and regulations,” and that the United States “cannot let an aggressive actor threaten Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East.”
In November 2021, Rep. Cuellar was one of the 87 Members of Congress that wrote to President Biden urging him to support supplemental investment for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.
In the House, Rep. Cuellar co-sponsored H.Res.246, which opposed efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the global antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. He has been vocal about the need to stamp out “antisemitism that continues to target Jews in Israel and around the world.”
In January 2020, Rep. Cuellar supported the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the infamous leader of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is currently designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the State Department for its extraterritorial and clandestine military operations. Rep. Cuellar argued that the “death of Soleimani could defuse the power of the Quds Force and is a necessary step in combating the threat of Iran.”
Jessica Cisneros
Jessica Cisneros supported the nuclear agreement with Iran, and has argued that the Iran deal “successfully blocked Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon, and Trump’s decision to abandon it was dangerous and unproductive.”
As concerns the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Cisneros has argued that “a two-state solution is critical to both Israel’s survival as a democratic state and a homeland for the Jewish people and to the dignity and justice of the Palestinian people” but emphasizing that “our communities know it’s not mutually exclusive to support Israel’s security and the dignity of the Palestinian people.”
According to J-Street PAC, which endorsed Cisneros, she has stated that she is committed to “end the occupation and create a two-state solution in the best interest of the American, Israeli, and Palestinian people.”
At the beginning of 2020, following the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, Jessica Cisneros strongly criticized the assassination itself as well as Rep. Cuellar’s support for the action, stating that “Rep. Cuellar is bought and paid for by the military industrial complex.” She said that the killing would “undoubtedly destabilize an already volatile region” and called for “no war with Iran.”