Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday endorsed progressive favorite Jessica Cisneros’ bid to unseat Rep. Henry Cuellar in the Texas Democratic primary election next year.
Ms. Warren is hoping the second time’s a charm after supporting Ms. Cisneros’ failed 2020 challenge to Mr. Cuellar, a moderate Democrat who has fallen out of favor with the far-left of the party.
“The people of Texas’ 28th district deserve a Democrat that will fight for their families, not on the side of big money and obstructionist Republicans,” Ms. Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement.
“Jessica knows that when progressives are unapologetic about our values and who we’re in this battle for, we win,” she said. “It’s time Texans had a champion in Congress who does just that.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for House Republicans, said Mr. Cuellar is doomed.
“Henry Cuellar may be voting like a socialist, but progressives will never accept him,” said NRCC spokesperson Torunn Sinclair. “He’s going to lose in 2022.”
The far-left of the Democratic Party is heralding Ms. Cisneros, a 28-year-old immigration attorney, as a warrior for their causes and billing the primary battle as a prime opportunity to push the House Democratic caucus further to the left.
Mr. Cuellar, 66, narrowly defeated Ms. Cisneros in the last go-round. Ms. Cisneros previously served as an intern in Mr. Cuellar’s congressional office.
Ms. Cisneros has received the support of Justice Democrats, the group that helped fuel Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning defeat of Rep. Joe Crowley in the 2018 primary election.
Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan also emerged victorious that election cycle. Progressive activists have since added more like-minded members to Congress, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Jamaal Bowman of New York.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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