Henry Cuellar finishes runoff 281 votes ahead of Jessica Cisneros
WASHINGTON — With every vote counted in a fiercely contested South Texas Democratic primary runoff, longtime congressman Henry Cuellar was 281 votes ahead of progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros.
Cuellar declared victory last week, after coming in 177 votes ahead of Cisneros on Election Day. The remaining uncounted ballots expanded his lead by another 104 votes, final results from each county in the district showed.
“As I said on election night, the margin will hold — and it has not only held but grown,” Cuellar said in a statement.
Cuellar called for those who voted against him in the runoff to back him in the general election, when Republicans hope Cassy Garcia, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, will flip the long blue district.
“While we may differ on certain positions, we share a common ground on many issues to improve our communities and strengthen families,” Cuellar said.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, right, and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn look at their gifted Spurs jerseys during a campaign rally at the Smoke BBQ+SKYBAR in San Antonio on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Cuellar is defending his longtime South Texas congressional seat against progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar is facing renewed scrutiny from fellow Democrats over his anti-abortion stance following news that the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Billy Calzada, Staff / Staff photographer
Vermont Congressman Bernie Sanders (left) and Texas District 28 Candidate Jessica Cisneros hug after speaking at a voting rally at Second Baptist Church on Friday, May 20, 2022. Cisneros is in a run-off against current representative Henry Cuellar.
Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News / Staff photographer
On the left: Henry Cuellar and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn look at their gifted Spurs jerseys during a campaign rally in San Antonio. (Billy Calzada) Right: Congressman Bernie Sanders Jessica Cisneros hug after a voting rally in San Antonio. (Kin Man Hui)
The final tally is still well within the bounds of a possible recount, however. Texas law allows candidates to request one if the vote difference is less than 10 percent of the leading candidate’s vote total; Cuellar finished with 22,895 votes.
Cisernos’s campaign, which did not immediately comment on the final tally, spent the last week raising money for a “recount fund” and telling supporters that “a recount is looking more and more likely.”
The third bout between the 17-year incumbent and the 29-year-old immigration attorney — both from Laredo — drew national attention and millions of dollars as it emerged as a key proxy battle between House Democratic leadership and the progressive wing of the party.
“Over the course of the last two elections, radical special interest groups spent over $10 million dollars in an attempt to push their out-of-touch, New York values on Texans,” Cuellar said. “But you, the voters, stopped them. I am an American, Texan, then a Democrat — in that order — and I will continue to fight for Texas values and not let coastal elites bring their failed agenda to our communities.”
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