With less than two weeks remaining until election day, progressive immigrants rights attorney Jessica Cisneros is raising far more cash than her conservative-Democrat opponent Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas’ 28th Congressional District.
Between April 1 and May 4, Cisneros raised $1.2 million, more than triple the $352,083 amount Cuellar raised during the same period, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Throughout the entire primary runoff, Cisneros has raised $4.3 million and Cuellar has raised $3 million.
As of now, Cisneros holds $1.4 million cash on hand and Cuellar has $1 million remaining.
A significant portion of the campaign contributions to Cisneros came within the last two days of the reporting period, from May 2 onward — the day a leaked opinion draft revealed the Supreme Court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The leak has brought public and political pressure on Cuellar, the only House Democrat to vote against the Women’s Health Protection Act, a law codifying Roe v. Wade protections jeopardized by the Supreme Court.
Cisneros has also brought pressure to top Democratic leaders that continue to support Cuellar’s re-election, namely House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has a long-standing rule to unconditionally back fellow House Democratic incumbents regardless of who challenges them or which federal law enforcement agency raids their campaign office.
“As the Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe v. Wade, I am calling on Democratic Party leadership to withdraw their support of Henry Cuellar who is the last anti-choice Democrat in the House,” Cisneros said days after the release of the leaked draft opinion and shortly before Majority Whip James E. Clyburn came to stump for Cuellar at a Laredo rally.
During a press conference on Thursday, Pelosi reaffirmed her support for Cuellar and explained that the lawmaker’s vote was not needed to advance the House-passed, Senate-stalled Women’s Health Protection Act.
Election day for the runoff race is on May 24. Early voting begins May 16.
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
