Progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros crushed incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), in the final donation filings before next week’s primary, federal records show.
Cuellar’s cliff-dive numbers came during a filing period with an FBI raid smack in the middle of it. Cuellar’s home was raided on Jan. 19 by federal agents as part of an investigation that reportedly involves Cuellar’s family and a number of organizations with ties to Azerbaijan.
In the period from Jan. 1 through Feb. 9, Cisneros reported raised $707,045.70, while Cuellar took in just $146,743.17. Cisneros had been raising more than Cisneros and his total for the cycle still tops hers.
The primary race has been a close one–a rematch of the 2020 Texas Democratic primary, when the nine-term incumbent beat Cisneros by fewer than 3,000 votes.
The campaigns of Cuellar and Cisneros did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Cuellar has said the investigation will show “no wrongdoing” on his part. But the Texas Tribune reports he declined to answer questions about his interest in the “vast opportunity to strengthen South Texas’ relationship with Azerbaijan.” Cuellar co-chairs the Azerbaijan House caucus.
In early February, Cisneros began incorporating those unanswered questions into her campaign. Cisneros even released an ad spotlighting coverage of the raid.
Texas Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told TYT the raid and questions of corruption are “a big part” of the new fundraising disparity. Rocha, who worked for the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), is now involved in ten campaigns across the state, but not Cisneros’s. He said Cisneros’s numbers, though, are “a tell-tale sign of momentum.”
In a new profile of the race, Politico described Cuellar as “hunkered down” instead of out with the people, campaigning. “The business groups that once bankrolled his campaigns have stopped lining up,” Politico reported.
Cuellar took a veiled shot on Tuesday at the support Cisneros has gotten from nationally well known progressives. She is endorsed by Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who campaigned for Cisneros in Texas on Tuesday. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has also flown in to help Cisneros.
In an apparent reference to such out-of-state support, Cuellar told Politico people in his district know him and his record. “They don’t want to have somebody from outside the district tell somebody how to vote here.”
In her latest filing, however, Cisneros reported contributions from 233 donors based in Texas. Cuellar had only 90.
Nevertheless, unnamed Cuellar allies told Politico that internal polling shows him ahead. Turnout in counties that Cisneros won last time is lower this time around, they said.
In a fundraising email Tuesday on behalf of Cisneros and Jessica Mason, who’s running in another Texas House district, the progressive group Brand New Congress acknowledged turnout issues.
“Early voting turnout has been lower than hoped across the board,” said Brand New Congress Campaign Engagement Director Chris Riley. The reason? Texas GOP voter suppression.
“New requirements imposed by the GOP’s voter suppression bill from last year led to thousands of mail-in ballot requests getting tossed,” Riley wrote. “Some counties disqualified as many as HALF of all ballot requests!”
The early voting period ends on Friday. Polls will be open for in-person voting on primary day, March 1.