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- Progressive immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros is challenging conservative Democrat and incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas 28th district, a safe Democratic seat in South Texas.
- This primary race, a direct clash between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic party playing out on the local level, has received significant national attention and campaign spending.
- Polls in Texas close at 7 p.m. local time and 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Polls in Texas close at 7 p.m. Central Time and 8 p.m. Eastern Time
Texas 28th district Democratic primary results:
What's at stake in the primary?
Jessica Cisneros, a 26-year-old immigration and human rights attorney, is running to challenge Rep. Henry Cuellar from the left with a progressive, grassroots campaign - years after she worked as an intern in his congressional office.
Cuellar, a member of the House Appropriations Committee who has the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and tens of local officials, is "one of the most conservative Hispanic Democrats" in the country, according to CNN. Between January 2017 and January 2019, Cuellar voted in line with President Donald Trump's position more than 68% of the time, FiveThirtyEight found.
And similarly to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' and Ayanna Pressley's primary challenges, Cisneros is arguing that Cuellar - who she calls "Trump's favorite Democrat" due to him voting with Trump's interests a majority of the time in the House - is fundamentally out of step with the heavily Democratic district he represents.
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Cuellar is one of just two anti-abortion House Democrats along with Rep. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, and holds an A rating from the National Rifle Associaton, an organization reviled by most Democrats for its aggressive lobbying in favor of expanding gun rights.
Cisneros has picked up high-profile endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, a slew of progressive House members, several influential national and Texas labor unions, Planned Parenthood's political arm, and EMILY's List, which supports pro-choice women running for office.
Like many of her endorsers, Cisneros supports progressive policies including the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
Meanwhile, both Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairwoman Rep. Cheri Bustos and Speaker Nancy Pelosi have personally traveled to the district in support of Cuellar.
Groups including the powerful Koch Network are also contributing to Cuellar, marking the first time the Koch operation has supported a Democrat in a federal election.
Cisneros is confident in her potential to win. "I haven't had a single person disagree with me in terms of my policies," she told the Texas Tribune in November. But so is Cuellar, according to campaign spokesman Colin Strother. He will win "by a sizable, comfortable margin," Strother told CNN last week.
"We're not allowing a 26-year-old young lady who's never done anything question the character of a dedicated public servant," Strother recently told Buzzfeed News of Cisneros' challenge.