correction An earlier version of this article mistakenly said spokesman Henry Cuellar had won by less than 200 votes. The Associated Press updated its count with 289 votes. The article has been corrected. Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar will run for the Democratic nomination for the 28th Congressional District in Texas following a controversial re-election battle against attorney Jessica Cisneros. A recount of the results of the second round on May 24 found that Cuellar defeated Cisneros by 289 votes. The Associated Press called the match for Cuellar on Tuesday. While Cuellar had already declared victory after the May 24 election, the AP avoided calling the election, explaining that the results were very close. Cisneros then applied for a recount, which was overseen by the state Democratic Party and paid for by its campaign. In a statement Tuesday, Cuelar said the recount proved what he had already announced: that he would run in the November general election. “As I said on election night, ‘the margin will hold’ – and not only did it hold, but it also increased,” Cuela said. This is not the first time Cuellar has defeated Cisneros in a battle for the 28th Texas District. Cisneros were close to defeating their former boss — who took over for his internship in 2014 — in 2020. They lost that race by 1,700 votes. Cuellar, the only anti-abortion Democrat in the US House of Representatives, had the support of leading Democrats in Parliament, such as President Nancy Pelosi (California), while Cisneros was supported by a new generation of more liberal Democrats, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY). The 28th District will be competitive in the fall. Cuelar will now face Republican nominee Cassie Garcia, a former deputy secretary of state for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). In a statement Tuesday, Cuéllar appeared to acknowledge the rift between his views and that of most Democrats in Parliament. “While we may differ in some areas, we share a common ground on many issues to improve our communities and strengthen our families,” Cuellar said. “I will continue to fight for the values of Texas and not let the coastal elites bring their failed agenda to our communities.” Cisneros gave up the fight on Tuesday, saying in a statement that “it always knew this was a difficult battle”. “We were dealing with a corrupt political machine,” Cisneros said, accusing Cuellar of being funded by a number of conservative groups, including “Republican-funded Super PACs, the Koch brothers.” [and] the “Chamber of Commerce” and “almost the entire Democratic Party establishment in Washington.” “We still refused to back down,” Cisneros said. “With this margin closed, it is clear that without their aggressive intervention in the lives of South Texas families, we would have won.” Texas Democratic Party leader Gilberto Hinojosa congratulated Cuellar on his victory in a statement. “We are grateful to Jessica Cisneros for her positive campaign – shedding light on the issues that really affect South Texas,” Hinojosa added. “We all know he will continue to fight for the South Texans as we rally together behind our candidate, Henry Cuellar.” Arelis R. Hernández contributed to this report.
