Democrat Johnny Garcia beats GOP-backed antisemitic primary rival in Texas

Johnny Garcia, a centrist Democrat backed by national Democrats, won a South Texas primary after a Republican-linked outside group spent nearly $1 million to boost his antisemitic opponent, Maureen Galindo. The win keeps Democrats in striking distance in Texas

For weeks. Maureen Galindo’s campaign had the kind of outside attention that doesn’t usually show up in a Democratic primary—especially in South Texas. On paper, the race in the 35th District was about two Democrats with very different profiles. In practice, it became a test of whether Republicans could tamper with a party contest to tilt the general election.

Johnny Garcia, a former sheriff’s deputy running as an “old-school, common-sense, law-and-order Democrat,” won the primary anyway. His victory came after Lead Left PAC—linked to Republicans despite taking steps to hide its origins—spent nearly $1 million to boost Galindo. It was. by the telling of the spending. essentially responsible for her campaign; Galindo managed to raise just $5. 000 on her own.

Galindo, a sex therapist, had expressed antisemitic views. Earlier this month, she wrote on Instagram that she hoped to turn a local ICE facility into a “prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.” National Democrats had made clear they would not support her.

Garcia’s win gives Democrats a chance at a seat Republicans drew to lock in power. The 35th District was one of several majority-Hispanic districts created by Texas Republicans during their mid-decade gerrymander last summer. But Democrats have grown more confident about making it competitive as Donald Trump’s approval has fallen sharply among Hispanic voters—an opening tied. in large part. to Trump’s failure to deal with a cost-of-living crisis.

In this district, the political math matters: it voted for President Donald Trump by 10 percentage points in 2024. With Garcia now positioned as the nominee, Democrats see a pathway to flipping a seat that was supposed to stay out of reach.

The primary was also part of a wider pattern Republicans are trying to repeat. The outcome in Texas means GOP operatives looking to meddle in Democratic primaries are headed for a second consecutive defeat after a similar effort failed last week in Pennsylvania. There had been a different result in Nebraska, where an earlier intervention was successful.

Garcia’s opponents were never the only factor in the race. Lead Left’s spending was met with an immediate counterpunch from BDA PAC. a super PAC allied with the Blue Dog Coalition that backs moderate and conservative Democrats. BDA PAC spent $1.25 million backing Garcia in the runoff and in the first round of the primary.

The Democratic contest wasn’t happening in a vacuum. On the GOP side, the nomination race in the district was coming down to a runoff, too. Air Force veteran and kickboxing gym owner Carlos De La Cruz—backed by President Donald Trump and the brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz—was set to face off against state Rep. John Lujan, who was backed by GOP Gov. Greg Abbott.

Those parallel battles—one inside the Democratic primary, another inside the Republican nomination—meant the stakes were bigger than just one candidate. The district covers portions of San Antonio and rural areas to the city’s south and east, a mix that can magnify shifts in voter sentiment.

Taken together. the money and messaging describe the same pressure point: when Republicans attempt to tilt a Democratic nomination. the outcome has not consistently played out as planned. In Texas’ 35th District. the attempt to boost Galindo with nearly $1 million from Lead Left PAC met a candidate who leaned into law-and-order themes and won anyway. setting Democrats up for another shot at a seat they believe the gerrymander didn’t permanently seal.

Johnny Garcia Maureen Galindo Lead Left PAC BDA PAC Blue Dog Coalition Texas 35th District antisemitism Democratic primary gerrymandering Monica De La Cruz Greg Abbott Carlos De La Cruz John Lujan