The leaked Supreme Court draft on abortion rights has shaped the runoff between progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). (Photo: Associated Press)In two consecutive primary runs against Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros has homed in on Cuellar’s opposition to abortion rights as a key point of contrast.
The difference between the two candidates’ positions on abortion rights took on new weight after a draft of a Supreme Court decision overturning the Roe v. Wade decision leaked at the beginning of the month.
Cuellar is the last abortion rights opponent in the House Democratic Caucus. And as Cuellar and Cisneros compete in a runoff election on Tuesday, some pro-choice advocates hope a win for her in the primary will show the importance of backing a choice at a time when abortion rights are in danger.
“With abortion rights on the line, it’s essential we elect Democratic pro-choice women like Cisneros because she not only understands that abortion is a fundamental right, but also knows that it’s central to economic and social justice for people in Texas,” said Danni Wang, a spokesperson for EMILY’s List, a group that backs pro-choice Democratic women and is supporting Cisneros.
Cuellar, for his part, maintains that his opposition to abortion rights is at once not as radical in nature as that of a hardline Republican, and a better fit for the socially conservative voters of Texas’ 28th Congressional District, which is predominantly Latino and working class.
“Cisneros is probably closer to the modal or median Democrat on abortion rights,” said Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas, Austin. “Is that true in this district? That’s what this is a test of.
” Cuellar condemned the leaked Supreme Court draft, noting that it was “not incremental in nature” and arguing that it would “further divide the country during these already divisive times.” He also affirmed that he supports permitting abortions during the exceptional cases of rape, incest and a “danger” to the life of the mother .