Exclusive: James Talarico endorses in House runoff to try to block Democrat who made antisemitic remarks

By Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — James Talarico, Texas Democrats’ US Senate nominee, has thrown his support behind Johnny Garcia in the state’s 35th Congressional District, where Democrats are ramping up their efforts to block a rival candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of a runoff election next week.

“Born and raised in a working class household in San Antonio, Garcia is a deputy sheriff with a track record of protecting the communities he’s running to represent,” Talarico said in a statement first reported by CNN. “Garcia knows how to fight for working Texans because he is a working Texan, and his battle-tested leadership is exactly what’s needed in Congress.”

The endorsement is part of a wider push to defeat Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist who has been rebuked by members of both parties over her antisemitic comments.

Last week, she posted on her campaign Instagram account that if elected, she would turn a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center into “a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.”

Galindo denies that her comments are antisemitic. She said in a statement Wednesday that her “proposal for Karnes Detention Center was NEVER for Jewish Zionists– it’s for BILLIONAIRE Zionists, regardless of religion. If they’ve done business for genocidal prison state materials or there’s evidence of pedophilia from Epstein files, they should be brought to trial.”

National Democrats are alarmed at the possibility that Galindo, who placed first in the district’s March 3 primary, could win the May 26 runoff election. Galindo has benefited from nearly $1 million in spending from Lead Left PAC, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings. Punchbowl News previously reported that the PAC’s website had links to WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform, in its metadata, and Democrats have condemned the PAC’s spending.

CNN has reached out to Lead Left PAC for comment.

Texas Republicans redrew the 35th District last year as part of a nationwide redistricting push, changing it from a heavily Democratic seat to one that would have voted for President Donald Trump by 10 points, according to a CNN analysis.

“It is literally becoming all or nothing, and our opponent will only harm our party, will walk us off of a cliff, if we allow her to win,” Garcia told CNN.

He added that Talarico “understands the importance of what is at stake in this race, and we cannot just let it slip out of our hands when we know we can see victory in November.”

National Democrats, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Blue Dog Coalition, have rallied behind Garcia, a public information officer for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. Democratic leaders have also condemned Galindo’s rhetoric.

Talarico told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week that he would not campaign with Galindo if she wins the nomination, adding that there must be leaders in both parties “willing to stand up and call out hate.”

Democratic Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jared Moskowitz of Florida vowed to force votes to expel her from Congress “every single day we are here” if she is elected.

“Maureen’s insane, antisemitic views — including putting Americans in concentration camps — have no place in our Party or country,” they wrote in a statement released Wednesday.

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