U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who recently survived two Democratic primary challenges from his former Congressional intern Jessica Cisneros, could again face off against another opponent who has worked for him.
On Wednesday, Cuellar’s former district director Jose Sanz announced plans to seek the Republican nomination to challenge his former boss in Texas’ 28th Congressional District in 2024, citing concerns about border security and a growing belief that his views didn’t align with the Democratic Party.
Sanz worked for Cuellar for the past two years, first as his press secretary and then as his district director, and helped the congressman’s campaign to defeat Cisneros in 2022. He parted ways with Cuellar’s office on Aug. 11, Sanz said Wednesday.
“The experience was unparalleled,” Sanz said in a statement about his time working for Cuellar. “However, over time it became clear that my values and beliefs did not align with those of the office.”
The announcement marks the third time in three election cycles that the Laredo Democrat has faced a challenge from a former member of his congressional staff.
Cuellar is considered one of the Democratic Party’s last remaining moderates, occasionally siding with Republicans on issues like abortion and border security. He’s also a member of House Democratic leadership.
In his statement, Sanz called himself “pro-business, pro-oil and gas,” and “pro-fiscal responsibility.” He also vowed to defend “our core conservative values such as the right to life, the Second Amendment and true freedom of speech.”
Texas’ 28th Congressional District stretches from north of Bexar County all the way to Laredo. It was redrawn to include more of Bexar County after the 2020 Census.
Under those new lines President Joe Biden would have carried the district by 7 percentage points in 2020, but it was still among three Congressional districts Republicans poured money into flipping in 2022.
Cuellar won comfortably in November with 56.42% of the vote, defeating Republican Cassy Garcia, who had the support of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and numerous well-funded GOP groups.
“I had a close primary, but when you look at the general election, when you have independents and Republicans cross over, I won by almost 14 [percentage] points,” Cuellar said Saturday on a Texas Tribune Festival panel.
Texas’ 28th Congressional District isn’t one of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s top targets in 2024. It’s rated “likely Democrat” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Like Cuellar, Sanz lives in Laredo.
“I know this district well. It is a conservative district and it wants a congressman who will protect their family values and way of life,” Sanz said. “They want someone who will fight for them and truly represent their ideals and beliefs, with the promise of a better future.”
Sanz was born in Mexico City before moving to the United States with his family and attending school in Houston. He later received a masters in business administration from Universidad ESEP in Madrid, and worked as a sports analyst for ESPN-Mexico.
Cuellar’s chief of staff Jacob Hochberg said in a statement that he welcomes “another Republican candidate to the race that has no experience and is not from the 28th Congressional District of Texas.”
“We will win again, decisively,” Hochberg said.
Cuellar has yet to draw a high-profile primary challenger this year, and launched an aggressive effort to court the labor unions who supported Cisneros.
One wild card remaining in his reelection race, however, is the 2022 FBI raid of Cuellar’s home and office.
There have been no arrests or charges filed related to the case, and Cuellar maintains that he was never the target of the investigation. Still, legal experts told the Texas Tribune the case could still be developing.
