During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Outnumbered Overtime” on Sunday, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) reacted to former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) saying the far-left messaging coming from some within the Democratic Party hurt the party in the 2020 election.
Cuellar agreed with Kasich, saying the left calling to defund the police and attacking the energy sector “didn’t play well” in his congressional district.
“Some of that messaging didn’t play well in my congressional district. Maybe it plays well in some members’ districts, but in my district, it didn’t play well. And I think … the former governor had a point about we just got to make sure that we understand one thing, [which] is America is not far left. America is not far-right. It’s either center-left or center-right, and that’s the way it’s been, and that’s where it’s going to be.”
Host Harris Faulker asked, “[W]hen you say it didn’t play well, give me a specific example. What didn’t play well?”
Cuellar replied, “Defunding the police. Or even attacking the oil and gas. I mean, everybody has their own district. In my area, energy is big here, as you know. Texas is number one in the country on oil and gas, but we’re also number one in wind energy in the country also. So, we have to understand that there are ways that we can balance the energy sector along with a transition. But no transition’s going to happen overnight. I do support the energy sector. I’ve done that for many years. I know the good-paying jobs they have, and I’d rather be dependent on our own energy than to be dependent on the Middle East for energy. I want to produce here locally in the United States.”
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