Campaigning for Henry Cuellar, a Democratic U.S. House leader says party shouldn't shun abortion

[TexasTowelie]

Campaigning for Henry Cuellar, a Democratic U.S. House leader says party shouldn’t shun abortion opponents

by Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune


SAN ANTONIO — The No. 3 Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives charged into a raging national firestorm over abortion rights Wednesday as he visited Texas to campaign with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a rare Democrat who opposes the practice, in his hotly contested primary runoff.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s trip was announced over a week ago, but it fell two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that favors overturning Roe v. Wade. The timing of the news cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Cuellar — and the senior Democrats who support him — as he was the only House Democrat last year to vote against a proposal to codify Roe v. Wade.

As Clyburn traveled to Texas on Wednesday morning, Cuellar’s progressive challenger, Jessica Cisneros, issued a statement calling on Democratic House leadership to rescind its support for Cuellar in light of the Roe v. Wade bombshell. But Clyburn was unswayed as he attended a series of events across the city with the Laredo congressman, stressing that he does not always agree with Cuellar but believes divergent views are healthy for democracy. In doing so, Clyburn sent a message that the Democratic Party should not shun abortion opponents.

“We have a big-tent party, and if we’re gonna be a big-tent party, we got to be a big-tent party,” Clyburn told reporters after an evening rally at an outdoor barbecue joint. “I don’t believe we ought to have a litmus test in the Democratic Party. I think we have to bring as many people into the party as we possibly can.”

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/04/jim-clyburn-henry-cuellar-democrats-abortion-election/