Former Rep. Mayra Flores, a Republican who is the first Mexican-born woman to serve in Congress, announced on Tuesday that she has switched districts to challenge Rep. Henry Cuellar in 2026 as Cuellar awaits the start of his criminal trial Less than three hours after her campaign launched on social media Flores’ team announced that the former congresswoman has been hospitalized “We pray that Mayra will return stronger than ever ready to continue her unwavering commitment to serving our country,” the team wrote on X Flores has been discharged from the hospital according to a sister who responded to questions from The Texas Tribune A statement Tuesday evening from the campaign said that Flores is “now fully recovering and feeling stronger than ever” and will be back on the campaign trail soon These statements did not provide additional details represented Texas’s 34th district for about six months after she won a special election in June 2022 She lost her reelection in November 2022 to Rep. Vicente Gonzalez The pair ran against each other again in 2024 — when Flores lost by less than three percentage points Flores said she is “fighting for a better future for the children of South Texas,” and listed her top campaign issues including securing the border strengthening the economy and giving parents choices regarding their children’s education “This campaign is driven by a love for our country and a commitment to fight for justice The Justice Department indicted Cuellar, 69, on charges of alleged bribery, money laundering and working on behalf of the Azebaijani government and a Mexican Bank. The indictment alleges that Cuellar accepted almost $600,000 bribes in return for his influence from December 2014 through November 2021 His trial is scheduled to begin in September The congressman has maintained his innocence and has said that his actions are consistent with those of his congressional colleagues Cuellar, who represents the 28th district, won his reelection in 2024, by just under six percentage points, after the Republican party did little to raise money for or advertise their candidate However, the National Republican Congressional Committee placed Cuellar’s seat on a list of 26 target “pick-up opportunities” in the 2026 midterm election as the party aims to grow its slim majority in the House of Representatives Berenice Garcia contributed to this report Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase Choose an amount or learn more about membership SAN ANTONIO— The Government opposes delaying Henry Cuellar and his wife's trial or moving the location to Laredo Related: U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar secures another term as criminal trial looms the government opposed the Cuellar's motion to delay the trial and change locations to Laredo The Laredo Democrat was indicted last year on charges of bribery and illegally working on behalf of the Azerbaijani government Related: Henry Cuellar’s corruption trial delayed until after election Federal prosecutors allege Cuellar laundered bribes from the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican bank he allegedly advocated legislation that the bank and the Azerbaijani government supported That included legislation related to Azerbaijan’s territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia The trial is set to take place in September Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife were indicted in May 2024 on a series of federal corruption charges including bribery wire fraud and failing to register as a foreign agent Federal prosecutors accused the 69-year-old Cuellar — a career politician — of using “sham contracts” and fake invoices to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank over a years-long period Cuellar represents a district that sits on the south Texas border and he often breaks with Democrats on immigration and border issues That’s true even for culture war bills at times with President Donald Trump in office – and House Republicans barely holding onto a razor-thin margin where every vote counts – Cuellar is becoming a hot commodity among top administration officials Cuellar told us that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Trump’s border czar Cuellar has also reached out to Homan independently over the past few months “We’re talking about immigration,” Cuellar said of the Trump administration officials Cuellar also noted that he has had a long relationship with Homan Cuellar added that these conversations took place around Trump’s Jan The 11-term lawmaker is one of only two Texas Democrats serving on the House Appropriations Committee Homeland Security and MilCon-VA subcommittees on that panel When asked whether Cuellar or his defense attorneys have spoken to administration officials about his criminal case Cuellar’s criminal case isn’t going anywhere fast either The case is currently scheduled to go to trial in late September There’s been very little action in the case docket beyond the logistics of the treatment of classified information and rescheduling the start of the trial - Mica Soellner, John Bresnahan The DoorDash effect: $107B in economic impact In 2024, DoorDash powered $107B in economic activity through sales for local businesses, from restaurants to grocers to florists. Dashers earned $16.7B, delivering 4 hours per week on average. Local delivery drives real economic impact. Explore the report. WASHINGTON — National Republicans will target Democratic U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar in their reelection races next year the House Republicans’ campaign arm announced Monday The National Republican Congressional Committee included the two border Democrats in a list of 26 Democrats across the country that Republicans view as prime pick up opportunities Both Gonzalez and Cuellar represent border districts that have swung to the right in recent years President Donald Trump won every county in the 34th Congressional District Cuellar’s Laredo-based 28th Congressional District also went for Trump with the president winning the district by more than 7 percentage points and the shifting political landscape in Texas is fueling our momentum,” Zach Bannon “Out-of-touch Democrats Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez’s radical records and refusal to embrace common-sense solutions will cost them their seats next year.” Gonzalez was Republicans’ biggest offensive effort in Texas last year and national Republicans flooded the district with ads casting him as far to the left Gonzalez managed to beat his Republican challenger “Last cycle with Trump on the top of the ticket they outspent us more that 2-to-1 and turned up empty handed,” Gonzalez said in a statement Monday “They’re easy to predict because they never learn They will do it again with the same results only this time they will lose the majority.” The NRCC also singled out Cuellar last cycle after he was indicted on charges of corruption and money laundering (Cuellar denies the allegations.) But the indictment landed before Republican leadership could recruit a candidate The NRCC and Congressional Leadership Fund opted against seriously investing in the race that year relative to Gonzalez’s race Cuellar won his race by 5.6 percentage points Cuellar's and Gonzalez's victories last year were by smaller margins than in the past Gonzalez won his race in 2022 against Flores by more than 8 percentage points and Cuellar won his by more than 13 percentage points National Republicans heavily invested in those races in 2022 not NRCC target lists,” Cuellar said in a statement on Monday “That is why I have been consistently re-elected with strong victories throughout the district I have also outperformed both national party tickets throughout my time in Congress because I get support from not only Democrats but also Independents and moderate Republicans I remain committed to the needs of my district and the results speak for themselves I look forward to another successful re-election.” Republicans are still months away from their primaries to pick the party's challengers against Cuellar and Gonzalez who recently switched parties to be a Republican said he was “seriously considering” a run against Cuellar He cited the congressman's votes with fellow Democrats on issues including LGBTQ rights and federal spending plans “As the Webb County Judge for the last 10 years I’ve watched Henry Cuellar frequently assert that he is different from the rest of the Democratic Party in Washington his voting record consistently aligns with liberal radical DC Democrats,” Tijerina said in a statement Monday “Henry no longer reflects the values of District 28 I am seriously considering a run for Texas’ 28th Congressional District and will be making more announcements in the future.” a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the incumbent Democrats have a "strong record of delivering results in their communities" that will overcome investment from national Republicans “The truth is House Republicans are running scared and refusing to hold town halls,” Shelton said “because they don’t want to get yelled at for their failure to lower prices and cutting Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.” We can’t wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. Henry Cuellar secured an 11th term representing his South Texas congressional district early Wednesday despite a federal indictment accusing him of a litany of corruption allegations Cuellar is one of Texas’ longest serving Democrats in Congress and has served the 28th Congressional District since 2005 He and his family are synonymous with political power in Laredo whose airport has a terminal that bears his name One of the most conservative members of the Democratic caucus he often breaks from his party and sides with Republicans He is known for close friendships with Republicans and is the last pro-life Democrat in Congress Cuellar faces a criminal trial after the Justice Department indicted him on a series of charges alleging bribery money laundering and working on behalf of the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican bank The charges spanned years of Cuellar’s service in government The specter of that upcoming trial cast a pall over his reelection campaign Cuellar denied any wrongdoing and expressed confidence immediately after the indictment went public that he would still be reelected “These allegations have been difficult on my family we will overcome,” Cuellar said in a statement at the time I’m running for re-election and will win this November.” Republicans were not planning on putting up a serious fight in the Laredo-based district 13-point defeat in 2022 with millions of dollars invested Republicans decided to focus their attention elsewhere Their primary offensive opportunity in Texas this cycle was in the 34th Congressional District against Democratic U.S Furman secured the Republican nomination in a May runoff election the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was once again making the district a target He previously served in the Navy in Sub-Saharan Africa and launched his campaign as a grassroots But there was no repeat of the investment of 2022 when they recruited trained and spent heavily on their candidate the NRCC and the Congressional Leadership Fund never announced major ad buys in Laredo Furman failed to raise a competitive sum of money Furman raised a mere $323,000 this cycle as of mid-October Cuellar had raised over $2.3 million with no loans Will you donate today for accurate election reporting trusted by millions of Texans Choose an amount or learn more about membership Cuellar’s pending criminal trial was pushed in June until after the election sparing him from a highly visible legal drama He also did not face the same backlash from his peers as other indicted lawmakers such as U.S House Democratic leaders maintained their endorsements of him the legal fees pulled on his campaign funds and he was barred from traveling beyond South and West Texas except to go to Washington for congressional work Cuellar fended off a competitive primary challenge by immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros in 2020 and 2022 Cisneros lost by less than a percentage point Cuellar was particularly vulnerable that year after the FBI searched his house in a highly public raid The raid was later revealed to be in connection with this year’s indictment His 2022 Republican challenge from Garcia was part of a larger Republican foray into the traditional Democratic stronghold of South Texas Republicans spent millions in the neighboring 15th and 34th districts securing a victory in the McAllen-based 15th district with U.S Republicans were not as well funded as Democrats this year compelling them to be choosier in their investments The NRCC dedicated the lionshare of its resources in the 34th district Furman entered the race before Cuellar’s indictment and his political inexperience and hard-right platform made him an unconventional pick for Republicans. Furman said shortly after launching his campaign that he picked the 28th district “to provide a national platform to promote President Trump because he is going to be the one and singular person who can save us from this moment.” Furman had secured the endorsements of several former Trump administration officials and far-right members of Congress Chip Roy of Austin and Lauren Boebert of Colorado WASHINGTON — Republicans were handed a gift earlier this year, when U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar — a beloved son of Laredo — was indicted on charges of bribery money laundering and working for the Azerbaijanis and a Mexican bank The South Texas congressman was one of the GOP’s biggest targets last election cycle, and a few weeks after his indictment, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party’s U.S. House campaign arm, announced he was once again on their hit list But with just a few weeks until Election Day, Republicans have little to show for it raised a modest $323,000 this cycle through the end of September with over $181,000 in debts according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission Cuellar raised over $2.3 million with no debts There have been no ad reservations announced by the NRCC or the Congressional Leadership Fund — Republicans’ main super PAC for the U.S both groups have collectively invested over $2 million in Harlingen to boost former Rep Vicente Gonzalez in another competitive South Texas race GOP leaders also have yet to stump for Furman as House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana did for Flores and we really haven't seen our opponent around,” Cuellar said in an interview When asked about the NRCC’s involvement in his race Furman declined to specify how the group has helped him though he said it has “opened up to us to help extend our campaign capabilities.” “We're in an active conversation right now and I can't speak more to that,” Furman said The NRCC is strapped for cash this cycle relative to its Democratic counterpart The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has raised more than $67 million more than the NRCC as of the end of August incentivizing Republicans to be more strategic in their spending Federal prosecutors accuse Cuellar of abusing his office to advance favorable policies for the Azerbaijani government and the Mexico-based Banco Azteca Cuellar is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and chaired its subcommittee on Homeland Security He stepped down from the chairmanship after the indictment Cuellar is barred from leaving Texas except for congressional work in Washington He has not yet faced wide cries for his resignation with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries maintaining his endorsement for Cuellar saying his behavior is in line with other members of Congress He declined to comment on the case during a recent interview Republicans are still bullish in the region They have been focusing predominantly in Flores’ Rio Grande Valley-based 34th Congressional District which they see as their biggest offensive opportunity Republicans have reserved $800,000 in NRCC ad buys targeting the district The Congressional Leadership Fund also reserved $1.9 million in ad reservations in the district Furman’s team also expresses confidence his grassroots effort can make a dent regardless of investment from national groups Hispanic voters’ shifting support for conservative stances and unfavorable coverage of Cuellar’s indictment have given Furman hope that Cuellar remains vulnerable Internal NRCC polling in the district shows former President Donald Trump pulling ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race And despite Cuellar’s deep coffers, he’s had to spend a considerable portion on his legal fees “Commander Furman looks forward to communicating with all of the voters in South Texas’ 28th Congressional District and is prepared to deliver his own plan for how to reduce inflation make everyday necessities affordable again for South Texans and end the policy of open borders,” said Ross Hunt a seasoned Republican campaign operative working on Furman’s campaign “Commander Furman’s campaign anticipates being able to fully fund communicating this message to all the likely voters of his district.” Furman announced a series of TV ads on Tuesday accusing Cullar of being corrupt and weak on the border. He has also launched a website targeting Cuellar calling him a “corrupt elitist who stands with Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.” “Henry Cuellar’s 95% voting record with Biden-Harris has made life harder for families from Laredo to San Antonio,” Furman said in an ad “Our district deserves a representative who goes to DC to help the people of South Texas—not for his own profit.” the district was hardly on Republicans’ radar this cycle Cuellar defeated Republican candidate Cassy Garcia in 2022 by a 13-point margin in a closely watched race where Republicans and Democrats collectively spent over $20 million The expensive and deep defeat warded Republicans off of launching another serious challenge this cycle Furman doesn’t fit the profile of a typical candidate national Republicans would want to challenge a member like Cuellar, who is so ingrained in the area’s politics that Laredo’s airport terminal bears his name He’s a political neophyte with positions often to the right of Republican leadership He has previously expressed antipathy toward House Republican leadership particularly over continued aid for Ukraine “I'm not in Speaker Johnson's camp ideologically in his vote, or in his leadership, as recently expressed,” Furman said in May ahead of his primary runoff about Johnson’s support for Ukraine Furman stressed at the time that he would be willing to meet with Johnson and work with him in the general election He echoed the sentiment in a recent interview where Furman said “I support the leadership.” we're going to have to hit the ground sprinting to save our ship,” Furman said in the interview then we may lose this entire democratic experiment.” Furman has secured endorsements from several right-wing Republicans in Congress House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also support him “Henry Cuellar is leaving Congress one way or another — at the ballot box or in handcuffs,” NRCC spokesperson Delanie Bomar said in a statement “Every day Henry Cuellar is in office is a day Texans are being cheated out of honest representation.” WASHINGTON — Two moderate South Texas Democrats voted Tuesday to ban federal funds for schools that allow trans athletes in girls sports U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, and Henry Cuellar were the only Democrats in Congress to vote for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act The bill would ban federal funds for any K-12 school that allows a “person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls,” defining sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The bill also commissions a study to “document the adverse psychological and sociological results to girls of allowing males to compete impacting schools that “facilitates” girls sports programs that allow trans athletes even if the programs are not formally organized by the school where it faces an uphill battle to get the 60-vote supermajority required to advance out of the chamber Both Gonzalez and Cuellar are in politically vulnerable seats Their majority-Latino districts both voted for President-elect Donald Trump in last year’s elections Gonzalez was subjected to Republicans’ biggest offensive effort in Texas last election cycle with Republican candidate Mayra Flores spending over $6 million in her bid to unseat him Republicans pilloried Gonzalez with ads accusing him of supporting tax-funded sex change surgeries for minors pointing to his vote in 2021 for the Equality Act which would protect trans people from discrimination Gonzalez denies that he supports tax dollars going toward gender transition surgery and said the ads had an impact on how constituents voted in his district Gonzalez and Cuellar are among the most conservative members in the House Democratic Caucus Cuellar is the only remaining anti-abortion Democrat in Congress and Gonzalez has previously stated he does not support “boys competing in girls sports.” Gonzalez criticized his fellow Democrats for urging him to support pro-LGBT legislation in the past saying some of the priorities do not reflect the values of his majority-Catholic district and hurt him in the election “I believe that there should be rules to keep our sports fair and that boys should not play in girls sports," Gonzalez said in a Tuesday statement after the vote "Members of Congress must have the freedom to vote in a manner representative of their district we should not be afraid to vote our district’s values because we're afraid of Washington." He made similar remarks in an interview after the election where he said “we need to protect every community in America but there are issues that I don't agree with and I think we should be outspoken about it I don't think Democrats should have to hide from a message like that.” Gonzalez would not say at the time if he would support allowing McBride to use the women’s restroom Gonzalez's post-election comments prompted pushback from LGBT activists in South Texas who spurned Gonzalez’s claim that pro-trans legislation was against the region’s values “As we prepare for the second term of President-elect Donald Trump it is imperative that the LGBTQ community of South Texas knows that your office will vote affirmatively to protect their rights and livelihoods in D.C,” they wrote in a Dec “Our expectation of our elected officials is that they will serve and protect everyone in their district activists and organizations signed onto the letter Five of the activists had a video follow-up call with Gonzalez in December where Gonzalez promised he would never vote for legislation that would actively harm trans Texans a community organizer and one of the participants on the call Other participants on the call included constituents who had block walked for Gonzalez and a mother whose son is a trans athlete who shared their experiences with Gonzalez living in the socially conservative district Marrero Hi said Gonzalez's vote on Tuesday was a "slap in the face." "He told us to our face that he would never actually vote for something that would harm trans people," Marrero Hi said "Him voting now in favor of this bill and adding Democratic support to it shows that what he told his trans constituents does not align with what he's actually doing on the House floor." Marrero Hi added that it was "really unfortunate" that Gonzalez used trans issues as a talking point in analyzing the 2024 elections "when to us he's shown he doesn't have any good understanding of the lives of trans Texans." Gonzalez's office said: "The Congressman is glad to meet with all constituents to learn from their viewpoints and hear their experiences Congressman Gonzalez will continue to fight for South Texans in Congress by working to lower costs and creating economic opportunities for all.” Republicans are also looking to target Cuellar in the 2026 election cycle The congressman is under federal indictment on charges of corruption money laundering and working for a foreign government that has taken a toll on his political capital Cuellar denies the allegations and faces trial later this year Tuesday’s bill was introduced by Florida’s Rep Greg Steube with several Texas Republicans cosponsoring Jodey Arrington of Lubbock and Monica De La Cruz of Edinburg all cosponsored the bill All other Democrats in the chamber voted against the bill except for U.S who last year narrowly lost a second bid to reclaim a South Texas seat announced Tuesday that she’s running again her campaign disclosed that Flores had been hospitalized without providing any additional details.  “During this challenging time, we humbly ask for your prayers and support. We pray that Mayra will return stronger than ever, ready to continue her unwavering commitment to serving our country,’’ the social media post read Flores has lost two elections to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in Texas’ 34th District along the Gulf Coast But this time she’s seeking a different seat which stretches from parts of San Antonio to a swath of the southern border with Mexico Cuellar, along with his wife, was indicted last year for two schemes involving unlawful foreign influence He has maintained his innocence and is awaiting a criminal trial “This campaign is driven by a love for our country and a commitment to fight for justice, opportunity, and unity for all,’’ Flores said on social media earlier Tuesday The daughter of migrant workers, Flores became the first woman born in Mexico to serve in Congress when she won a special election in 2022 flipping a seat left vacant by the resignation of Democrat Filemon Vela But less than five months later and under redrawn district lines, Flores lost reelection to Gonzalez by 9 points. She again lost to Gonzales in the heavily Hispanic district last fall but cut into his margins Flores told Fox News Digital in an interview before her announcement that she was running to help House Republicans expand their razor-thin majority and make it easier to push through President Donald Trump’s agenda.  It makes it very difficult for President Trump to get anything across with such a small majority,” she said.  Cuellar, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, is among the more conservative Democrats in the chamber, having cultivated a moderate profile since he was first elected in 2004. Despite his indictment, he won reelection last fall by 6 points as the district, like many parts of South Texas, swung rightward – Trump carried the seat by 7 points, according to calculations by elections analyst Drew Savicki.  The National Republican Congressional Committee has included Cuellar on its initial list of 26 House Democrats it will target in 2026. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Leans Democratic.  WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar is claiming some credit for Texas’ controversial buoys to prevent migrants from crossing the Rio Grande saying he pitched the idea to Border Patrol years ago The conservative Democrat said in a recent interview with Newsweek that he made the pitch to Border Patrol to prevent migrants from claiming asylum by setting foot on U.S So when somebody crosses and touches the riverbanks they can claim asylum,” Cuellar told the news magazine In a brief interview with The Texas Tribune Cuellar added that the idea didn’t go anywhere at the time because the International Boundary and Water Commission didn’t give the necessary permits But he was enthusiastic about an alternative to a land-based border wall in his district Gov. Greg Abbott deployed buoys and razor wire on the border last year to deter migrants from crossing the Rio Grande. Dozens of people have died trying to cross the river in recent years. Then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized the tactics last year after a body was reported on one of the buoys sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his administration to investigate Abbott’s actions under Operation Lone Star including the use of razor wire and buoys on the Rio Grande The letter asserts the buoys and razor wire are “potentially illegal and may violate multiple bilateral treaties” designating water rights between the United States and Mexico Every Democrat in Texas’ congressional delegation at the time signed onto the letter who has represented the 28th Congressional District since 2005 expressed similar concerns during a press conference in 2023 about Operation Lone Star where he said the buoys could change the border if there is flooding and that Border Patrol agents have expressed concerns that the razor wire can impede them we have to respect the rights and the dignity of the migrants who are trying to come into the U.S.,” Cuellar said at the news conference “One of the things that we’ve asked the state and that I’ve asked the federal government is and it looks like the state is going solo on this.” Cuellar said he was not opposed to the use of buoys but he signed onto the 2023 letter in opposition to the state’s unilateral use of the barriers without working with the federal government He said he was optimistic the state will work with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump on hardening the border Cuellar also said he didn’t want to take credit away from Abbott for deploying the buoys “I’m not taking anything from Governor Abbott,” Cuellar said Cuellar is among the most conservative Democrats in Congress and has occasionally crossed over to support Republican efforts on border security. He helped launch a Democratic task force on border security earlier this year He has recently shown openness to working with Trump’s administration, saying he saw opportunities for “common ground” with Tom Homan Homan served as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first term Cuellar said he could see an agreement with the Trump administration on working with Mexico to keep migrants from reaching the U.S reeling from a federal indictment charging him with bribery He has denied the allegations and won reelection in November by 5.6 percentage points He won reelection in 2022 by more than 10 points Republicans declined to heavily fund a challenge against Cuellar this year despite the indictment which came out after the first round of the district’s Republican primary But South Texas remains a major target for the party and national Republicans have telegraphed they are keeping their sights on the district in the future Cuellar’s trial is set to begin next spring in Houston in which more details of his alleged criminal activity are expected to be aired out He is charged with accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes to advance the interests of Azerbaijan’s oil and gas sector and the business interests of Banco Azteca He is accused of setting up money-laundering schemes to conceal the bribes with the help of his wife Cuellar said his behavior was in line with other members of Congress Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More WASHINGTON — National Republicans announced they are targeting two veteran Democratic congressmen from Texas in next year’s election represent districts that have been trending more Republican They are among more than two dozen House Democrats the National Republican Campaign Committee sees as vulnerable in the next midterm election President Donald Trump made further inroads with Hispanic voters last November notably flipping several Hispanic majority counties on the U.S.-Mexico border to the Republican column National Republicans say it is just the momentum they need to target the two Democratic congressmen in South Texas next year.  the National Republican Congressional Committee said Both Cuellar and Gonzalez won new terms last year with slimmer victory margins than in previous elections.  This area went from being solidly blue to now it’s definitely purple assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley In an interview with Spectrum News shortly after winning re-election in November by less than 3 percentage points Gonzalez downplayed the closeness of his race.  not a shift to the Republican Party,” Gonzalez said After landing on the NRCC’s new target list they outspent us more that 2-to-1 and turned up empty-handed They’re easy to predict because they never learn Cuellar won reelection by 5.6 points last year even though he and his wife were indicted on federal conspiracy and bribery charges in May That is why I have been consistently re-elected with strong victories throughout the district I have also outperformed both national party tickets throughout my time in Congress because I get support from not only Democrats but also Independents and moderate Republicans.” Corral said what could ultimately decide the midterm elections is the economy which is exactly what President Trump ran on “Trump needs to be careful economically as well with his own set of policies moving forward that would be incredibly negative for the Republican Party around here the gains that they’ve had,” Corral said.    Cuellar said he looks forward to another successful reelection but some political analysts say that may hinge on what happens in his legal case Cuellar’s trial has been delayed to the fall WBC world bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani scored two knockdowns on his way to a Round 3 knockout win over David Cuellar on Monday which sets up a world title unification fight for later this year breezed to a third title defence at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo to stay on course for an all-Japanese world title unification fight later this year wants to unify the titles at bantamweight and in this form he looks likely to achieve that feat The other world champions at 118 pounds are all Japanese: Seiya Tsutsumi (WBA) asked what's next for him after the victory said "let's unify," a reference to Nishida who currently holds the IBF world bantamweight title Junto Nakatani kept hold of his world championship belt on Monday. PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty ImagesNishida expressed a similar keenness let's do it" as the pair stood side by side in the ring There is also a potential blockbuster fight against fellow Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs), ESPN's No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound boxer and undisputed world junior featherweight champion who trains in Los Angeles with coach Rudy Hernandez has won all four of his fights at bantamweight by stoppage and showed why he is one of the most entertaining boxers in the sport today as he gave Cuellar (28-1 a painful introduction to elite level boxing in the challenger's first world-title fight and was the tallest opponent Nakatani has faced But it did not take Nakatani long to make a dent in the challenger as he dropped him in the corner in Round 3 for the first time following a slew of body shots two right hooks and then a left hand through the guard to the jaw Nakatani followed up with two left hooks that left Cuellar sinking down the ropes and onto the canvas and the fight was over Nakatani's rival world champion Seiya Tsutsumi (12-03 8 KOs) held on to his WBA bantamweight title in a first defence via a draw in his gripping rematch with Diago Higa (21-3-2 All three judges scored an entertaining fight 114-114 after both Japanese fighters visited the canvas in a thrilling Round 9 Higa dropped Tsutsumi with a counter left-hook but the champion hit back and Higa crashed down face first from a right hand who was badly cut in Round 4 from a clash of heads also drew with Higa in a 10-round bout in 2020 2 KOs) earned a unanimous points decision (97-93 98-92) over former world champion Jason Moloney for the best win of his boxing career landed some solid shots in a strong finish but was outworked and outboxed by Nasukawa Moloney lost his world title on points to Takei in his last fight in May and this was Nasukawa's best win so far Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application was called to the Lord's Heavenly Kingdom on September 29 He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother Left to cherish his memory are his parents: Cristian Cuellar & Martha Alicia (Mario Antonio Rendon) Lopez Ruiz from 5 to 9 pm at Hillside Funerals and Cremations where a Prayer Service will be held at 7 pm with Pastor Moises Gutierrez The funeral service will commence at 9:30 am in our chapel Procession will form and depart at 10:30 am to the Laredo City Cemetery Arrangements are under the direction of Hillside Funerals & Cremations; 310 W This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar has narrowly defeated Republican Jay Furman to win an 11th term representing Texas’ 28th Congressional District Cuellar has served the district since 2005 and narrowly defeated former military commander Furman District 28 encompasses nine counties across South Texas including Bexar County were indicted on charges of money laundering The Department of Justice’s indictment said that the congressman accepted money from Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company and a Mexican bank that influenced his role as a lawmaker The couple allegedly accepted $600,000 in bribes Jury selection for their trial begins March 31 Furman has spoken out against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and abortion The candidate was also aiming to support the completion of the border wall and “protect children from race gender and woke indoctrination” in the Texas education system agricultural issues affecting his district The congressman is the only Texas Democrat in the U.S House Appropriations Committee which oversees federal budget allocations and legislation surrounding spending for government agencies The congressman has not stated how he will manage his duties while also preparing for his trial next year The family of Manuela Vasquez Cuellar created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 Mission Park Funeral Chapels & Cemeteries Made with love by funeralOne won an 11th term early Wednesday despite facing a federal indictment over charges that he took foreign bribes a 20-year congressional veteran who is considered among the most conservative Democrats in the U.S defeated Republican retired naval officer Jay Furman in a district anchored by the border city of Laredo in South Texas A proven vote-getter who was elected to the Texas House eight times before winning his first election to Congress in 2004 Cuellar was made vulnerable after a federal indictment in May accused him and his wife of accepting bribes and money laundering Prosecutors accused the Cuellars of taking about $600,000 from a company tied to the Azerbaijan government and a bank headquartered in Mexico City were laundered through shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team. The payments began in at least December 2014 and continued through at least November 2021, according to the indictment. Cuellar previously served as co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus The Cuellars have been slapped with charges related to bribery money laundering and acting as foreign agents The charges together carry decades of prison time if they are convicted The Cuellars have insisted that they are innocent of the charges but Furman had run late-campaign ads accusing Cuellar of using his office “to enrich himself and empower cartels.” Contributing: Bayliss Wagner and Marley Malenfant There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Sign up Sign in It's time for everything to do with Dodger baseball Bobby Cuellar (Los Angeles Dodgers)by Cary Osborne Bobby Cuellar, an influential pitching coach and roving instructor in the Dodger Player Development system since 2015, passed away on Monday at 72 years old. Cuellar completed his 50th year in professional baseball in 2024. Cuellar coached at every classification in the minor leagues in his career. He coached at the Major League level as the Seattle Mariners’ pitching coach (1995–96), Montreal Expos’ pitching coach (1997–2000), Texas Rangers’ bullpen/pitching coach (2001), Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen coach (2006–07) and Minnesota Twins’ bullpen coach (2013–14). He appeared in four games or the Texas Rangers in 1977. He pitched professionally for 11 seasons Cuellar was the recipient of the 15th annual Mike Coolbaugh Award in 2023. The award is given annually to an individual who has shown outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field. Dodgers Vice President of Player Development Will Rhymes said at the time that Cuellar’s contribution to the game was immeasurable. Dodgers writer and editor in his 16th season. Dodgers Director of Digital and Print Publications and Alumni Relations. On Twitter: @thecaryoz See all responsesHelp