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- House Democratic leaders are backing Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar’s 2024 re-election bid.
- That’s despite his an FBI raid on his home, his opposition to abortion, and other conservative positions.
- Last year, some Democrats backed a progressive candidate running against Cuellar in the primary.
Top leaders in the House Democratic Caucus this week endorsed the re-election campaign of Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative anti-abortion Democrat who represents a South Texas district.
Cuellar, whose home and campaign office were raided by the FBI in 2022 — though has insisted he was not the target of the investigation — is the last remaining anti-abortion Democrat in Congress.
He has been the sole Democrat to vote against legislation codifying abortion rights at the federal level, and has previously received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.
“Henry Cuellar is an accomplished advocate for the people of South Texas who is working hard to build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York in a statement shared with POLITICO and the Texas Tribune by Cuellar’s campaign.
In addition to Jeffries, Cuellar has the backing of the rest of the top echelon of House Democratic leadership, including Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and Assistant Democratic Leader Rep. Jim Clbyrun of South Carolina.
He also has the backing of former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and former House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland.
In both 2020 and 2022, Cuellar faced a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, a progressive lawyer.
She lost to Cuellar by less than 300 votes last cycle, despite the backing of progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Cuellar maintained the backing of top Democrats in 2022 despite both the FBI raid and his political positions, with Clyburn coming to his district to campaign for him ahead of the primary election.
