Several Dem Lawmakers Endorse Rep. Cuellar’s Progressive Challenger After FBI Raid

Democrat Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) on Tuesday endorsed Jessica Cisneros, a progressive candidate challenging Rep. Henry Cuellar, just weeks after the FBI raided Cuellar’s home.

“Our democracy should reflect the will of the people, not special interests,” Porter tweeted.

Porter’s Truth to Power PAC selected Cisneros and two other candidates in its first endorsements of 2022.

Porter joins other incumbent Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who have endorsed Cisneros. Cisneros’s campaign has gained steam since news broke last month that the FBI raided Cuellar’s home.

The FBI raided Cuellar’s home as part of an ongoing investigation reportedly involving Cuellar and his wife’s ties with Azerbaijani officials. In his first statement since the FBI raid, Cuellar told his constituents he is “fully cooperating with law enforcement and committed to ensuring that justice in the law is upheld.”

Cuellar spoke with the Laredo Morning Times on Sunday in his first interview since the raid but refused to answer specific questions about the raid.

“The congressman would not address his connections to the nation in this week’s interview,” the outlet reported. Instead, he maintained his commitment to cooperate with law enforcement throughout the investigation.

“As I said last week, I am fully cooperating with law enforcement and want to make sure that justice and the law is upheld. This ongoing investigation will show that there is no wrongdoing on my part,” Cuellar said.

Additionally, Cuellar reaffirmed his commitment to run for re-election despite the ongoing FBI investigation. “I am going to win this race, and we intend to be the congressman as I win re-election. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said.

Cuellar narrowly defeated Cisneros by fewer than 3,000 votes when she challenged him in the 2020 Democrat primaries. In a district that has turned more blue since redistricting, Cisneros hopes again to unseat Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress.