An Opportunity for a More Progressive Member of Congress

Late last year the Texas legislature, in its infinite wisdom and partisan contrivance, saw fit to redraw congressional district boundaries such that Guadalupe County is now split between the 15^th and 28^th districts. The 28^th congressional district encompasses the western most 30% of the county, north of I-10 the boundary is the Guadalupe River, south of I-10 the boundary follows FM 775 south for a bit then zig zags here and there until it hits the county line near Zuehl Crossing.

Since the 15^th congressional district will lean Republican Vicente Gonzalez has filed to run in a neighboring district that is more friendly to Democrats. The 28^th congressional district which included Guadalupe County until the 2011 redistricting cycle has been held by Henry Cuellar since 2006.

Democrats should remember that Cuellar refused to support the Affordable Care Act until some of the most important benefits were stripped out of it. I and many other local activists pounded Cuellar for months before he finally announced his support just days before the bill came to a vote, but not before he worked with a handful of other “conservative” Democrats to add a provision that explicitly banned insurance coverage for abortions. Considering that the Affordable Care Act had so much that would have benefitted the citizens of Guadalupe County and the rest of the 28^th congressional district Cuellar’s diffidence was maddening.

Henry Cuellar has long been known for his ties to Republicans, like when he hosted a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. John Carter in 2018. At the time, the Round Rock Republican was a top target for Democrats in their successful bid to take back control of the chamber that year. Cuellar also champions conservative causes and had an “A” rating with the National Rifle Association. In 2019, he refused calls to return donations from the group. The anti-tax group Club for Growth endorsed Cuellar in 2006, making him the first Democrat ever endorsed by the organization.

In a new campaign video Cuellar claims “I built the relationships to be effective, no matter who is in power, to deliver results for my district,” as photos run of the congressman and recent presidents.  Cuellar goes on to say “... That’s why I’m always able to get to the table where the important decisions are being made.”

Unfortunately his claims aren’t true as he has strongly opposed legislation to address the human causes of climate change even though Laredo’s water supply is the Rio Grande which has seen water levels falling for decades and is projected to dry up entirely by 2040. I’ve already mentioned his failure to champion the Affordable Care Act which could have brought medical care to many low income residents in the district. Cuellar has also shown no interest in raising minimum wage or protect unionization efforts of workers. While Cuellar certainly manages to get a seat at the table he uses it to benefit his wealthy campaign donors especially those in the oil and gas industry.

Just last week Cuellar’s home in Laredo and his office in Washington were raided by dozens of FBI agents who carried out numerous bags of evidence. Media reports say an unnamed law enforcement agent indicated the raid is connected to ties Cuellar has to Azerbaijani government officials and oil and gas industry executives there.

This time around he is being challenged for the Democratic nomination by two strong Latinas, Jessica Cisneros who nearly beat him in 2020 and Tannya Benavides.  I’ll tell you more about both of them next week.

Published in the Seguin Gazette - January 26, 2022