House Democrats condemn Texas candidate for antisemitism and accuse a PAC of boosting her

(CNN) — House Democratic leaders condemned efforts Tuesday by a newly registered political action committee to boost a Democratic congressional candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of a runoff election next week.

Leaders in both parties have denounced recent remarks by Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist who won first place in March’s Democratic primary for Texas’s 35th Congressional District. In a post on her campaign Instagram last week, Galindo said that if elected, she would “turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.”

She’s also been accused of repeating tropes about her rival being controlled by money from Zionists and, according to the San Antonio Current, suggested that he and anyone else “supported by Israel” should be tried for treason.

State Rep. James Talarico, the party’s nominee for US Senate, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he wouldn’t campaign with Galindo.

“This antisemitic rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Talarico told JTA. “We need leadership in both parties willing to stand up and call out hate wherever it rears its ugly head.”

Though she’s been rejected by national Democrats, Galindo has benefitted from spending by Lead Left, a PAC that registered with the Federal Election Commission on May 6. FEC records show Lead Left has spent $428,000 in the 35^th District, mostly on printing and postage.

CNN has reached out to Lead Left for comment.

The group has also spent money to boost other Democrats viewed by the national Democratic Party as weaker general election candidates.

Punchbowl News previously reported that Lead Left PAC had links to WinRed, the primary fundraising platform used by Republican campaigns, in its website metadata.

Democratic leaders pointed to reporting from The New York Times to allege Republicans are behind Lead Left. The Times reported that “Republican fingerprints are detectable” around Lead Left, also citing ads the group has run in Nebraska “closely mirror the messaging in ads previously paid for by a nonprofit group that is linked to House Republican leadership.”

“House Republican leadership must immediately cease propping up this antisemitic candidacy, pull spending in the race and forcefully condemn these comments,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said in a statement. “This vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party.”

Jeffries and DelBene said it was “beyond the pale” for Republicans to boost a “fringe candidate with antisemitic — and extremely dangerous — rhetoric and views.”

Galindo denies that her remarks are antisemitic. In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, she said 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.”

Asked about backlash from party leaders, she claimed the “DCCC had local media inflame my comments because they want my Israeli-backed opponent.”

Democrats are backing Johnny Garcia, a public information officer for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Garcia to its “Red to Blue” candidate list earlier this month.

“Her hateful and vile rhetoric continues to divide our party at a time where we need to be uniting and strengthening our party, so we could ultimately win this election here in this district,” Garcia told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.” “That’s my focus right now.”

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said Jeffries’ candidates had “no real support from Texans.”

“Now Democrats Johnny Garcia and Maureen Galindo are tearing each other apart in a full-blown primary civil war, turning their own races into a circular firing squad while Republicans stay focused on the issues Texans care about and build the coalition that’s going to win in November,” Martinez said in the statement.

The 35^th District was redrawn by Texas Republicans last year as part of the national mid-decade redistricting push. It was changed from a heavily Democratic lean to a district that would have gone for Trump by 10 points in 2024, according to a CNN analysis of state and private data.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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CNN’s David Wright contributed to this report.