Incumbents earn another term
While two of the congressional races for the San Antonio area are hotly contested, with millions of dollars pouring into campaigns and plenty of national attention, three other races are decidedly lowkey affairs. These three races feature long-standing incumbents — and marginal challengers. In Congressional District 28, we recommend U.S. Rep. for another term. During his eight terms in this district, which runs from San Antonio’s South Side to Texas’ border with Mexico, Cuellar has become one of the least favorite Democrats in Congress among the party’s progressives. His real challenge came in the primary against immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar is a conservative Democrat. He is anti-abortion, pro-gun rights and works well with Republicans. He also gets things done.
Cuellar’s conservatism and bipartisanship have made him an effective representative for his district and South Texas. The only Texas Democrat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, he’s leveraged his political capital into funding for new immigration judges, area military bases and Hispanic Serving Institutions, and
Henry Cuellar
he was critical in funding San Antonio’s new federal courthouse.
Cuellar has earned a ninth term.
His Republican challenger, Sandra Whitten, didn’t respond to requests for an interview. On her website, she describes herself as a “Christian, Constitutional Conservative, Pro-life, Supporter of Strong Borders and Legal Immigration.”
In District 35, we recommend U.S. Rep.
for a 14th term. As one of the most prominent liberal voices in Congress, Doggett has long been targeted by Republicans to the extent of their creation of weirdly gerrymandered districts designed to unseat him. The district he’s represented since 1995 connects East Austin to East San Antonio. Doggett has never forgotten that while a central duty of a member of Congress is to shape policies on national issues, the most important function of the office is constituent services.
While advocating for progressive causes and against the policies and rhetoric of President Donald Trump, Doggett, who turned 74 on Tuesday (happy birthday!), is a constant and vigorous presence throughout his district
Doggett Lloyd
and an effective representative tending to his constituents’ personal issues, interceding for them with government agencies such as the Social Security Administration or Veterans Affairs.
His Republican challenger, Jenny Garcia Sharon, was born in Houston and is a graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word. She is a pro-life, pro-second Amendment conservative who believes that “increased federal government involvement in our Nation’s healthcare system would only make the problems worse.”
And in District 20, we recommend U.S. Rep.
for a fifth term. Castro is quickly emerging as a national voice on immigration, health care and national security. He has brought attention to the poor treatment of immigrants in detention and, more recently, concerns about changes to the U.S. Postal Service.
He is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and he’s been equally impressive serving on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Castro faces Mauro Garza, owner of the Pegasus nightclub, who declined our interview request.
Castro Joaquin