Henry Cuellar isn’t apologizing for being a moderate

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WASHINGTON — It’s been a troublesome yr for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. In January, the Laredo Democrat’s dwelling was raided by the FBI weeks earlier than his major. Then, the overturning of Roe v. Wade this summer season cemented his standing as a pariah with many in his celebration, for being the one Democrat to vote earlier within the yr towards a invoice to guard abortion entry.

However heading into November, Cuellar isn’t operating scared. He’s sporting the label of a reasonable like a badge of honor. And he doesn’t look like any worse for the damage.

“I believe individuals need us to manipulate from the middle, whether or not we’re Democrats or Republicans,” Cuellar stated in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “I believe individuals are getting bored with the acute left and the acute proper.”

Cuellar faces off towards Cassy Garcia, a former staffer of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and member of the Trump administration, for Congressional District 28 in South Texas — one of many few aggressive races left within the state after redistricting final yr modified the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts.

Cuellar’s standing as one of many few remaining “reasonable” Democrats might also be paying dividends for his fundraising, as he took in nearly $4.9 million as of the top of June, smashing his traditional tempo for earlier years. At that time in his final race towards Republican Sandra Whitten, he had raised $2.4 million. In 2018, he had raised simply $1.3 million. The following fundraising disclosure deadline is Oct. 15.

Because of redistricting, nonetheless, this is without doubt one of the best normal election races the longtime congressman has had in years, boosting the necessity for stronger fundraising.

A few of the latest and largest donors to his marketing campaign are political motion committees that primarily contribute to Republican candidates and assist conservative causes. This consists of $4,000 from the Justice, Liberty and Freedom PAC, affiliated with former U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble; $3,000 from a lobbying agency that has contributed to GOP Sens. Marco Rubio and Chuck Grassley and $2,900 from Construct Our Future PAC, which has given handsomely to the political motion committee for John Bolton, Trump’s nationwide safety adviser.

“He’s now just about alone as a conservative Democrat in the home,” stated David Wasserman, one of many nation’s prime election forecasters at Prepare dinner Political Report. “His marketing campaign committee is a secure place for company PACs to donate to show they’re bipartisan with out being antithetical to their views.”

Cuellar characterizes his place on abortion entry as reasonable, saying abortion needs to be “uncommon, authorized and secure.”

However he was the lone Democrat within the Home to vote towards the Girls’s Well being Safety Act of 2022 in July, which aimed to protect entry to abortion care on the federal stage. That invoice by no means superior within the Senate.

Whereas opposing abortion, Cuellar has been essential of Texas’ legislation handed final yr that restricted abortions after roughly six weeks of being pregnant. He was particularly essential of the legislation’s enforcement mechanism that inspired and rewarded common residents to implement the legislation by means of civil litigation. After Texas banned practically all abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned, he voted in assist of a invoice that will defend the appropriate for a girl to cross state borders to hunt the process the place it’s nonetheless authorized.

“That’s a place that I’ve had, however now we see that the Democrats have gone one explicit path and Republicans have gone a distinct path,” Cuellar stated. “In some ways, my place has not modified from once I was within the state Legislature.”

Cuellar’s outlier stance on abortion is particularly notable provided that so many Democrats heading into the midterms are counting on a lift of enthusiasm associated to anger over the Supreme Courtroom’s motion. However Cuellar’s South Texas district, which is predominantly Hispanic, could have extra socially conservative Democrats.

“The abortion situation is sophisticated right here as a result of it’s a closely Catholic district,” Wasserman stated. “Cuellar is nearer to the median voter on this district on this situation.”

Sylvia Bruni, chair of Webb County Democrats, is a Catholic who doesn’t consider in abortion but additionally doesn’t assist authorities bans towards it. Whereas she stated she has seen “palpable anger” in voters over the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she additionally thinks the default stance on Cuellar for a lot of is that this: He’s higher than the choice.

“Proper now something Republican for me is an absolute hazard sign,” Bruni stated. “Typically talking, one other Republican in Congress could be disastrous for us.”

Throughout his contentious major towards challenger Jessica Cisneros, progressives hammered Cuellar after Politico reported the leak of the Supreme Courtroom’s plans to overturn the constitutional safety safety for abortions. Left-wing heavyweights like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York went scorched earth on the Democratic incumbent.

“The actual fact is those that fail their communities should lose,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about Cuellar in Might. “They don’t want rescuing from highly effective leaders who state they combat for gun security, the appropriate to decide on, and extra.”

Ocasio-Cortez was referencing the heavy-handed assist of Home Democratic management that Cullar acquired in his major. Within the thick of the shut battle, influential celebration figures, together with Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, endorsed the longtime congressman. And Home Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina traveled to Texas after the bombshell report of Roe v. Wade’s demise to marketing campaign for Cuellar, saying the celebration shouldn’t shun abortion opponents.

Maybe boosted by his win within the major — nonetheless slim it was — Cuellar grew to become extra vocal this summer season about his political convictions.

“In fact I’ve a spot within the Democratic Occasion. The query is, do these individuals have a spot within the Democratic Occasion?” Cuellar stated of Ocasio-Cortez to Axios in June. “Let me be me and I’ll preserve this seat as a Democrat.”

In public appearances this summer season, Cuellar has additional leaned into his popularity for crossing the aisle. In two Fox Information interviews in June, he railed towards the document variety of border crossings in Texas — echoing many conservatives — and scorched the “far left” of his celebration that “doesn’t perceive actuality.”

Cuellar made one other Fox Information look in September wherein he lambasted the Biden administration’s border insurance policies, saying he desires extra deportations.

“They’re making it very laborious for Democrats, the place the Republicans are pouncing on Democrats, saying they’re not for safe borders,” Cuellar stated.

However Republicans don’t suppose Cuellar is conservative sufficient, and they’re throwing hundreds of thousands of {dollars} behind Garcia, who says she actually embodies the values of the South Texas district.

“The explanation why I’m operating for Congress is to defend religion, household and freedom,” Garcia stated on Tucker Carlson’s Fox Information present in July. “The present incumbent Henry Cuellar, who says all the appropriate issues, has finished completely nothing to safe our southern border.”

Home Republican management will spend round $4 million on Garcia this cycle. Her marketing campaign raised over $1.1 million within the third quarter of the yr alone, it introduced this week.

She has hammered Cuellar over the FBI raid on his Laredo dwelling and marketing campaign workplace, an ominous cloud over the Congressman’s reelection bid. No costs have been filed and Cuellar’s legal professional has stated that the congressman just isn’t the goal of the investigation.

Whereas the small print of the raid haven’t formally been launched, ABC Information reported shortly after the raid {that a} grand jury sought data associated to Cuellar, his spouse and considered one of his marketing campaign staffers over connections to Azerbaijan. Cuellar is a member of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus and infrequently speaks out advocating for the oil-rich nation. The Related Press confirmed the report.

“The incumbent can’t choose up the telephone and ask the DOJ [Department of Justice] to prosecute gangs and cartels when he’s afraid they’ll inform him, ‘Hey, Henry, now that now we have you on the road, let’s speak about our ongoing felony investigation towards you,’” Garcia stated in an interview with The Texas Tribune.

Cuellar has remained steadfast that he’s not the goal of a felony investigation and stated the investigation will finally clear him of any wrongdoing.

“As my legal professional has stated, I’m not a goal of the investigation. We’ll cooperate with legislation enforcement,” Cuellar stated. “On the finish of the day, we’ll see that there was no wrongdoing.”

Cuellar’s major opponent Cisneros, who misplaced by lower than 300 votes, cautioned that Cuellar’s reasonable popularity is downright conservative at instances.

The final time Cuellar was a member in a GOP-controlled Home, proper after the election of former President Donald Trump, Cuellar voted towards a majority of Home Democrats nearly 17% of the time, one of many highest charges in Congress.

“He was the one Democrat to vote towards the Girls’s Well being Safety Act, he was considered one of a handful of Democrats to vote towards gun reform after the Uvalde capturing that occurred on election day,” Cisneros stated. “I imply I made a decision to leap into the race as a result of in the course of the Trump administration he was voting with Donald Trump 70 p.c of the time.”

Regardless of who wins the bulk this fall, Cuellar stated it received’t have an effect on how he does his job.

“I favor a Home managed by a Democrat majority, however even prior to now when the Republicans had been in management, I used to be nonetheless in a position to get my job finished,” Cuellar stated. “I don’t increase a crimson flag with Republicans, I’m able to sit down with them. I’ve been profitable irrespective of if it’s a Democratic or Republican Congress.”

Disclosure: Politico has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full record of them right here.