Henry Cuellar isn’t apologizing for being a moderate

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WASHINGTON — It’s been a powerful 12 months for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. In January, the Laredo Democrat’s residence was raided by the FBI weeks earlier than his major. Then, the overturning of Roe v. Wade this summer time cemented his standing as a pariah with many in his celebration, for being the one Democrat to vote earlier within the 12 months towards a invoice to guard abortion entry.

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

“I think people want us to govern from the center, whether we are Democrats or Republicans,” Cuellar mentioned in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “I think people are getting tired of the extreme left and the extreme right.”

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 12 months modified the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts.

Cuellar’s standing as one of many few remaining “moderate” Democrats might also be paying dividends for his fundraising, as he took in virtually $4.9 million as of the tip 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 subsequent fundraising disclosure deadline is Oct. 15.

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

Some 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 contains $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 Build Our Future PAC, which has given handsomely to the political motion committee for John Bolton, Trump’s nationwide safety adviser.

“He is now pretty much alone as a conservative Democrat in the house,” mentioned David Wasserman, one of many nation’s prime election forecasters at Cook Political Report. “His campaign committee is a safe place for corporate PACs to donate to prove they are bipartisan without being antithetical to their views.”

Cuellar characterizes his place on abortion entry as moderate, saying abortion ought to be “rare, legal and safe.”

But he was the lone Democrat within the House to vote towards the Women’s Health Protection 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.

While opposing abortion, Cuellar has been essential of Texas’ legislation handed final 12 months 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 way of civil litigation. After Texas banned almost all abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned, he voted in assist of a invoice that may defend the best for a girl to cross state borders to hunt the process the place it’s nonetheless authorized.

“That’s a position that I’ve had, but now we see that the Democrats have gone one particular direction and Republicans have gone a different direction,” Cuellar mentioned. “In many ways, my position has not changed from when I was in the state Legislature.”

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

“The abortion issue is complicated here because it is a heavily Catholic district,” Wasserman mentioned. “Cuellar is closer to the median voter in this district on this issue.”

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. While she mentioned she has seen “palpable anger” in voters over the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she additionally thinks the default stance on Cuellar for many is that this: He’s higher than the choice.

“Right now anything Republican for me is an absolute danger signal,” Bruni mentioned. “Generally speaking, another Republican in Congress would be disastrous for us.”

During his contentious major towards challenger Jessica Cisneros, progressives hammered Cuellar after Politico reported the leak of the Supreme Court’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 fact is those who fail their communities deserve to lose,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted about Cuellar in May. “They don’t need rescuing from powerful leaders who state they fight for gun safety, the right to choose, and more.”

Ocasio-Cortez was referencing the heavy-handed assist of House Democratic management that Cullar acquired in his major. In the thick of the shut battle, influential celebration figures, together with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, endorsed the longtime congressman. And House 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.

Perhaps boosted by his win within the major — nonetheless slim it was — Cuellar turned extra vocal this summer time about his political convictions.

“Of course I have a place in the Democratic Party. The question is, do those people have a place in the Democratic Party?” Cuellar said of Ocasio-Cortez to Axios in June. “Let me be me and I’ll keep this seat as a Democrat.”

In public appearances this summer time, Cuellar has additional leaned into his repute for crossing the aisle. In two Fox News interviews in June, he railed towards the report variety of border crossings in Texas — echoing many conservatives — and scorched the “far left” of his celebration that “doesn’t understand reality.”

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

“They’re making it very hard for Democrats, where the Republicans are pouncing on Democrats, saying they’re not for secure borders,” Cuellar mentioned.

But Republicans don’t assume Cuellar is conservative sufficient, and they’re throwing tens of millions of {dollars} behind Garcia, who says she really embodies the values of the South Texas district.

“The reason why I am running for Congress is to defend faith, family and freedom,” Garcia mentioned on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News present in July. “The current incumbent Henry Cuellar, who says all the right things, has done absolutely nothing to secure our southern border.”

House 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 12 months alone, it introduced this week.

She has hammered Cuellar over the FBI raid on his Laredo residence and marketing campaign workplace, an ominous cloud over the Congressman’s reelection bid. No expenses have been filed and Cuellar’s lawyer has mentioned that the congressman will not be the goal of the investigation.

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

“The incumbent cannot pick up the phone and ask the DOJ [Department of Justice] to prosecute gangs and cartels when he’s afraid they’ll tell him, ‘Hey, Henry, now that we have you on the line, let’s talk about our ongoing criminal investigation against you,’” Garcia mentioned in an interview with The Texas Tribune.

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

“As my attorney has said, I am not a target of the investigation. We will cooperate with law enforcement,” Cuellar mentioned. “At the end of the day, we will see that there was no wrongdoing.”

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

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

“He was the only Democrat to vote against the Women’s Health Protection Act, he was one of a handful of Democrats to vote against gun reform after the Uvalde shooting that happened on election day,” Cisneros mentioned. “I mean I decided to jump into the race because during the Trump administration he was voting with Donald Trump 70 percent of the time.”

No matter who wins the bulk this fall, Cuellar mentioned it gained’t have an effect on how he does his job.

“I prefer a House controlled by a Democrat majority, but even in the past when the Republicans were in control, I was still able to get my job done,” Cuellar mentioned. “I don’t raise a red flag with Republicans, I am able to sit down with them. I have been successful no matter if it’s a Democratic or Republican Congress.”

Disclosure: Politico has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news group that’s funded partially by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Financial supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Find a full list of them here.