Top House Democrats are condemning a Texas Democratic candidate days after she took to social media to say she\u2019d turn an immigration detention center into a \u201cprison for American Zionists\u201d if she won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, who heads the House Democrats\u2019 campaign arm, lambasted Maureen Galindo as her past comments gained steam on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis vile language by her is disqualifying and has no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party,\u201d the two Democrats said in a statement released Tuesday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galindo, a therapist, finished with the most votes in the March primary in the Democratic primary for Texas\u2019 35th Congressional District, a new district that state Republican lawmakers drew to be friendlier to the GOP this fall. She\u2019s running in a runoff against Johnny Garcia, who previously worked in the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galindo has made a string of controversial comments during her campaign. She wrote last week on Instagram that she\u2019d turn an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center \u201cinto a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking,\u201d going on to claim that many Zionists are \u201cpedophiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Galindo didn\u2019t reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeffries and DelBene also referred to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending by a shadowy group, Lead Left PAC, that has been spending to boost Galindo. They accused Republicans of trying to meddle in the race by elevating a seemingly toxic candidate who has raised hardly any money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo embrace and uplift a fringe candidate with antisemitic \u2014 and extremely dangerous \u2014 rhetoric and views in order to win an election is beyond the pale,\u201d they said. \u201cMAGA extremists should be ashamed of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lead Left PAC is a brand-new organization with little online footprint that has recently started spending to boost primary candidates who are running against Democrats seen as the preferred picks of the party\u2019s establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s unclear who is funding the effort, as it hasn\u2019t yet been required to disclose its fundraising under campaign finance laws. Punchbowl News reported this month that metadata for the group\u2019s website linked to a GOP fundraising platform, prompting speculation that Republicans could be looking to boost Galindo to help them win the seat in the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The winner of Tuesday\u2019s Democratic runoff will face the winner of the Republican runoff between the Trump-backed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz and state Rep. John Lujan, whose backers include Gov. Greg Abbott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle put out comments condemning Galindo\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is absolutely disgusting. This bigoted garbage and antisemitism should be nowhere near our politics,\u201d Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote in a statement on social media that also criticized alleged Republican involvement in boosting Galindo\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., argued in his own social media post: \u201cIf a Republican candidate proposed putting Jews in work camps it would be a national media story for days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is no version of America where rhetoric like this is acceptable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n