Democratic leaders are trying to prevent Maureen Galindo, a candidate who has repeatedly expressed antisemitic views, from winning their party’s nomination in next week’s Texas runoff, and they’ve accused Republicans of propping up her campaign.Galindo faces Johnny Garcia in the runoff for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 35th Congressional District, which is located in the San Antonio area. The district was redrawn by Texas Republicans to boost their party’s chances of holding onto the seat in this year’s midterms. Democrats have become alarmed since Galindo received the most votes in the March 3 primary. She earned 29% while Garcia had 27%. They believe the seat could remain competitive, despite redistricting, if their party has a strong year politically, and they’re eager to avoid being saddled with a candidate’s inflammatory rhetoric.
The runoff comes at a moment of heightened concern about the spread of antisemitism across the political spectrum and questions about how to handle candidates with extreme beliefs. Galindo’s comments included calls for imprisoning “American Zionists,” and transforming a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility into a jail for that purpose.
