On the southern border of Texas lies the Rio Grande Valley. An area spanning over 4,800 square kilometers, the valley is known for its large population of Latino Americans and thus strong Latino culture. Understandably, the most commonly spoken languages are, in addition to English, Spanish and their close relative, “Spanglish,” a legacy of the area’s past history under the Spanish Empire and Mexico. One of the area’s congressmen is Rep. Henry Cuellar (D), who we will be discussing today.

Hispanics are overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning. In the 2016 presidential election, Hispanics nationwide voted for Hillary Clinton 65-29%, and in 2012, for Obama by 71-27%. The Rio Grande Valley is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with the racial group averaging out to around 89% of the population in the region. But Rep. Cuellar’s district, the 28^th, also includes portions of the larger Rio Grande region and stretches all the way up to the San Antonio suburbs. The Hispanic population majority is lopsided, taking up 78.5%, giving the district a Cook PVI of D+9. (For those who are unaware, the Partisan Vote Index indicates that in a neutral political environment, the Democrats would defeat the GOP by an 18% margin.) So who is Rep. Cuellar?

Enrique Roberto Cuellar, or “Henry” Cuellar, started his political life in the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 1987-2001, until he was appointed Texas Secretary of State by Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, for a few months. After a defeat in 2002, Cuellar joined the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 after a contentious primary against incumbent Rep. Ciro Rodriguez. He hasn’t had any difficulties since.

 

During his time in the House, Cuellar has amassed a conservative record, leading him to become one of the foremost conservative Democrats in Congress. A member of the Blue Dog Caucus, Cuellar has regularly opposed abortion and has been an advocate of gun rights with an “A” rating from the NRA. And because of this conservatism, Cuellar has been consistently ranked among the most bipartisan members of Congress.

But Cuellar’s conservative stances has also sparked controversy. As much as how being anti-abortion and pro-gun is already controversial to many Democrats, Cuellar has voted on measures in a way some might consider as “anti-immigrant,” and Cuellar has received the second most financial contributions from private prisons of all Congressmembers. But what probably infuriated many left-leaning Democrats the most is Cuellar’s act of campaigning for GOP Rep. John Carter in 2018, who won reelection by a mere 3%. As such, he is currently facing a strong primary challenge from progressive Jessica Cisneros, an immigration and human rights attorney who has been endorsed by the Justice Democrats.

 

Rep. Cuellar’s legacy is long and complicated. As the first person from Laredo to represent an area in Congress, he has made it his life to serve others. As a Democrat, he has taken many stances that have angered fellow Dems nationwide. But as he gets reelected time and time again, perhaps we should listen to the constituents who raised him into office.