South Texas immigrant rights attorney Jessica Cisneros is running for Congress in 2022, Federal Election Commission filings show.
Cisneros made headlines during the 2020 election cycle after mounting an insurgent campaign against Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the U.S. House.
Raising $2 million largely through small-dollar donations, Cisneros would come within four percentage points of unseating Cuellar at the conclusion of the Democratic primary on March 3, 2020.
Cisneros supported the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, policies that saw her receive the endorsements of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
After the primary, Cisneros returned to her work as an immigration attorney.
“One of the reasons why everyday people make great leaders, whether it be in the halls of Congress or in other positions, is because they have everyday experiences that remind them of the urgency of why the policy they are fighting for is needed,” Cisneros told the Signal at the time.
For the 2022 midterms, Cisneros has filed to run in Texas’s 28th congressional district, the same district she challenged in the previous cycle — but the district’s fate, like all others, remains an open question as Texas lawmakers have yet to redraw new district lines for the state.
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
