Abortion Issue Is Already Roiling One Texas Congressional Race

(Bloomberg) -- A primary runoff in Texas this month between the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House and a progressive challenger could be an early indication of the political blowback over a Supreme Court draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Representative Henry Cuellar, an nine-term Democrat who represents a border district stretching from McAllen to San Antonio, defended his anti-abortion record on Tuesday.

At the same time, his challenger, Jessica Cisneros, received renewed support from leading Democratic progressives, as Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted out fund-raising appeals.

Cuellar said the leaked draft ruling, published by Politico on Monday night, goes too far in rolling back the national right to abortion established by the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

That ruling to overturn that decision, if finalized, “is not based on precedent” and would “further divide the country during these already divisive times,” he said in a statement.

“As a Catholic, I cannot support abortion, however, we cannot have an outright ban. There must be exceptions in the case of rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother,” Cuellar said. “My faith will not allow me to support a ruling that would criminalize teenage victims of rape and incest. That same faith will not allow me to support a ruling that would make a mother choose between her life and her child's.”

Cuellar was the only member of Congress to break with his party on a vote last year on the Women's Health Protection Act, which sought to backstop a Roe decision with an act of Congress. It passed the House but has not come up for a vote in the divided Senate.

Cisneros tweeted Tuesday that “Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans against codifying Roe. I'll always stand for our health care and the right to choose.”

“Let's defeat the last anti-choice Democrat in the U.S. House,” she said.

Cuellar led Cisneros by 949 votes in the March 1 primary. But with neither candidate getting more than 50% of the vote, they advanced to a runoff, which will be held May 24. The Democratic nominee will then face the winner of a Republican runoff between Cassy Garcia and Sandra Whitten.

Cuellar has the support of top Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But on Tuesday, progressive groups demanded that she withdraw her support.