Democratic leaders are working to shape Tuesday’s outcome in Texas’ 35th Congressional District runoff, arguing that the party’s nominee for Congress should not be a candidate they describe as having repeatedly expressed antisemitic views. The runoff matches Maureen Galindo against Johnny Garcia, with Galindo seeking to convert her plurality in the March 3 Democratic primary into the nomination, and Garcia hoping to close the gap.
Galindo is running in a district that includes the San Antonio area, and Democrats say the stakes are heightened because Texas Republicans redrew the district earlier this year to improve their party’s chances of holding the seat in the midterms. Democrats have expressed concern that Galindo’s inflammatory rhetoric could reduce the party’s odds in a race they view as competitive despite the redistricting, and they pointed to what they described as antisemitic language that has continued to circulate during the campaign.
In a statement, Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene said “House Republican leadership must immediately cease propping up this antisemitic candidacy.” They also accused Republicans of supporting the candidate, even as the National Republican Congressional Committee did not address the Democrats’ claims in the reporting and instead criticized the Democratic candidates for “embarrassing fundraising numbers, zero grassroots energy, and no real support from Texans.”
Galindo’s campaign materials included statements Democrats cited as antisemitic and as proposing changes to immigration detention. The Associated Press reported that Galindo’s comments included calls for imprisoning “American Zionists” and converting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility into a jail for that purpose, and the reporting described a message from Galindo’s campaign Instagram account saying, “She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking,” and adding: “(It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists).”
Democrats also sought to link Galindo’s support network to Republicans. The reporting said Galindo is backed by a political action committee called Lead Left PAC, which bills itself as opposed to President Donald Trump, but Democrats argued the group is funded by Republicans and referenced a New York Times report describing potential links. Lead Left PAC did not respond to requests for comment.
Galindo, for her part, has disputed the characterization of her proposals. In an email, Galindo said her proposal was “NEVER for Jewish Zionists — it’s for BILLIONAIRE Zionists” and said national Democrats were trying to inflame her comments.
Democrats’ top figures have also publicly condemned Galindo’s rhetoric and signaled consequences if she wins. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Galindo’s language “disgusting” and said it shouldn’t be near “our politics,” while Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Jared Moskowitz said in a statement Wednesday that if Galindo were to win election to Congress, they’d force votes to expel her “every single day we are here.”
Garcia said in a video posted on social media that the remarks have no place in the race. “We should be bringing people together, not spreading hate, division or dangerous rhetoric,” he said.
The confrontation is unfolding as Democrats have said concerns about antisemitism across the political spectrum have heightened in recent months, and as party leaders weigh how to handle candidates whose language they believe crosses boundaries. Galindo’s path to the nomination depends on Tuesday’s runoff turnout after her March performance, when she received 29% and Garcia received 27%.
Despite the party pressure, the reporting showed that Republicans’ committee did not respond directly to the Democrats’ claims about backing the candidacy, while Galindo’s campaign continued to stand by its framing of her proposals. The outcome on Tuesday will determine who carries the Democratic nomination into what Democrats expect to be a politically challenging general election in a district that Republicans say they reshaped for their advantage.