Johnny Garcia Projects Primary Victory After Maureen Galindo’s Controversial Remarks

Democrat Johnny Garcia, a public information officer for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, is projected by Decision Desk HQ to win the June 2024 Democratic primary runoff for Texas’s newly redrawn congressional district. The district, reshaped by the 2022 redistricting cycle, merges parts of the former 35th and 37th districts and is now viewed as a likely Republican pickup in the November general election. Garcia’s opponent, Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and housing activist who led the March primary, faced criticism after an Instagram post was widely interpreted as antisemitic. The runoff attracted national Democratic attention, with several party leaders publicly weighing in.

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State Rep. James Talarico announced he would not campaign with Galindo after her Instagram post. House members Josh Gottheimer and Jared Moskowitz said they would pursue a congressional vote to expel Galindo if she won. Rep. Christian Menefee posted on X that Galindo should not be part of the party or Congress. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly endorsed Garcia and condemned Galindo’s remarks as bigoted garbage.

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Galindo’s Instagram claim to turn an ICE processing center in Karnes County into a “prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking” was condemned as antisemitic by multiple Democratic leaders. Ocasio-Cortez, Menefee, Gottheimer, and Moskowitz called for her removal from the ticket, with the latter two threatening an expulsion vote. Their statements framed Galindo’s remarks as incompatible with party values.

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• “bigoted garbage” — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Representative (D-NY)

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• “Maureen Galindo has no place in our party and no place in Congress.” — Christian Menefee, Texas State Representative (D-TX)

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• “force a vote to expel her” — Josh Gottheimer and Jared Moskowitz, U.S. Representatives (D-NJ, D-FL)

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• “everything is based off a local journalist twisting words” — Maureen Galindo, candidate

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• “always called for all detention centers to be closed.” — Maureen Galindo, candidate

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Galindo contends her remarks were mischaracterized, stating “everything is based off a local journalist twisting words” and emphasizing her long-standing call to close all detention centers. The article does not provide the original Instagram text, leaving uncertainty about the precise language and whether it meets the definition of antisemitic.

The Hill

Garcia’s projected runoff win makes him the Democratic nominee for a district now viewed as a likely Republican pickup in November. Both parties will hold runoff elections for their primaries, and the general-election campaign will focus on voter turnout in the newly drawn district. Garcia is expected to emphasize his public-safety background while distancing his campaign from Galindo’s controversy.

The Hill