2026-05-26T09:00:08.197Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/politics/maureen-galindo-texas-israel-democrats
- 一名因反犹言论遭到本党谴责的国会民主党候选人将于周二参加得克萨斯州联邦众议院席位决选。
- 莫琳·加林多提议将一处拘留中心改造为关押犹太复国主义者的监狱，并指责其对手犯有叛国罪。她否认自己的言论存在反犹主义倾向。
- 全国民主党正努力阻止她晋级大选，原因是外界担忧其得到了疑似与共和党有关联的超级政治行动委员会支持。
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性治疗师、住房倡导者莫琳·加林多在3月3日的得克萨斯州第35国会选区初选中爆冷拔得头筹，当时她的竞选开支仅为数千美元。
随着她在批评以色列和其初选对手约翰尼·加西亚时使用反犹陈词滥调的行为引发全国关注，这份惊喜迅速转为警觉。加西亚的众议院席位竞选得到了亲以色列组织的支持，加林多的言论招致两党议员的广泛谴责。
如今，周二的决选对许多人而言既是对加林多言论的公投，也是对全国民主党在党内基础民众反以色列情绪日益高涨之际能否阻止她的考验。得益于近100万美元神秘的超级政治行动委员会资金投入，民主党正面临加林多可能赢得提名的局面——该党担忧这一结果会危及他们在该选区的选情，并让他们与自己谴责过的言论捆绑在一起。
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| 候选人 | 得票率 |
| — | — |
| 莫琳·加林多 民主党 | -% – |
| 约翰尼·加西亚 民主党 | -% – |
“她并不代表民主党人的价值观，当然也不代表圣安东尼奥的价值观，”当地民主党战略家劳拉·巴贝雷纳说道。
加林多否认自己的言论存在反犹主义倾向，并将自己在首轮初选中的成功归因于草根支持。根据美国联邦选举委员会最近的备案，截至3月底，她仅筹得5344.50美元竞选资金，仅为其他候选人筹款额的零头。
得克萨斯州民主党则将首轮投票的结果归因于不常参与投票的选民涌入，当时州众议员詹姆斯·塔莱科与联邦众议员贾斯敏·克罗克特之间竞争激烈的联邦参议院初选吸引了这批选民。
“这带来了很多非传统的民主党初选选民，他们可能并不那么了解情况，”圣安东尼奥的民主党战略家伯特·桑蒂巴涅斯说道。“他们顺着选票往下看，看到莫琳·加林多——一个女性名字、拉丁裔姓氏——就会给她投票。”（加林多拥有西班牙姓氏，但她自称是白人。）
民主党寄望于决选的选民规模更小但知情度更高，与首轮初选时的选民群体形成对比——当时加林多仅以不到1200票的微弱优势险胜加西亚。
“3月份时人们对她更具争议的言论和观点知之甚少，但现在他们已经了解了，”得克萨斯州多数派政治行动委员会执行主任凯瑟琳·费舍尔说道，她认为加西亚是更强势的候选人。“如果你参选，总会有机会，但我认为她现在处境艰难。我希望确实如此。”
加林多在初选前的社交媒体动态大多围绕住房政策展开，同时批评美国移民及海关执法局。她大量发帖反对为圣安东尼奥马刺队新建体育场综合体的计划，并表示支持弹劾唐纳德·特朗普总统及其政府成员，以及起诉移民及海关执法局探员。部分帖子结合了她作为婚姻与家庭治疗师的背景，向粉丝传授如何调节神经系统。
但早在3月3日投票前，就有迹象表明她对以色列的批评已经越界，滑向了反犹陈词滥调和阴谋论。她在去年12月写道，不会接受以色列的“血腥钱”，并在今年1月称“犹太教会领导层拥有巨大的经济、政治（以及媒体）权力，这非常真实且有害，理应被点名和批评”。
晋级决选后，她并未改变立场。本月早些时候在接受得克萨斯公共广播电台采访时，她声称美国正被以色列占领。
“也许约翰尼·加西亚和其他支持他的人，或是任何得到以色列支持的人，都应该因叛国罪受审，”她补充道，“不过我真的很担心以色列正在实施的种族灭绝，担心他们也会把这种行径带到这里来。”（以色列否认了包括联合国委员会指控其在2023年10月7日哈马斯袭击后在加沙地带对巴勒斯坦人犯下种族灭绝罪在内的多项指控。）
上周，她在竞选Instagram账号上发帖称，如果当选，她会将当地的移民及海关执法局拘留中心改造为“关押美国犹太复国主义者和涉及人口贩运的前移民及海关执法局官员的监狱”，她的言论随即引发全国关注。
加林多驳斥了她想将犹太人关押在拘留中心的指控。上周在一份声明中，她表示自己“关于卡恩斯拘留中心的提议从来不是针对犹太犹太复国主义者——而是针对亿万富翁犹太复国主义者，无论其宗教信仰如何。如果他们为种族灭绝式的监狱国家提供物资，或是有爱泼斯坦文件中涉及的恋童癖证据，就应该被送上法庭”。
当被问及对竞选相关反应的看法时，加林多援引了她网站上的一份类似声明。
尽管遭遇强烈反对，该州仍有部分人士认为加林多仍有可能赢得周二的决选，这进一步复杂化了民主党保住这个此前属于蓝营席位的希望。据CNN分析，得克萨斯州共和党去年重新划分了第35国会选区，该选区原本副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯以34个百分点优势获胜，重新划分后在2024年大选中将偏向特朗普10个百分点。
无论谁赢得周二的决选，都将在11月大选中对阵州众议员约翰·卢詹——一位曾翻转民主党立法席位的温和派人士，或是得到特朗普背书的空军退伍军人卡洛斯·德拉克鲁兹。
全国民主党团体已支持长期担任贝萨尔县副警长的加西亚。与众议院温和派蓝狗联盟相关的BDA政治行动委员会已斥资近100万美元支持加西亚，其中包括在3月3日初选前投入的30万美元。加西亚还得到了今年2月背书他的“民主党为以色列多数派”组织的支持。
加西亚在3月初选中以微弱劣势位居加林多之后排名第二，他表示如果选民在初选前就了解了加林多的言论，结果将会不同。
“这恰恰表明，在她坚持自己言论的同时，我们必须加倍努力确保赢得这场竞选，因为利害关系太大了，”他说道。
在民主党国会初选中排名第四的约翰·莱拉表示，他、加林多以及第三位候选人惠特尼·马斯特森-莫耶斯曾达成共识，如果他们中的任何一人与加西亚进入决选，另外两人都会背书该候选人。莱拉在加林多排名第一后兑现了承诺，但在《纽约时报》5月11日的专栏文章中披露加林多的反犹言论后，他撤回了对加林多的背书。
“我知道领导力应该是什么样子，领导人应该如何行事，以及他们不该说什么，”他说道。“任何公众领袖都绝对不应该说出莫琳正在说的那些话。”
作为温和派候选人参选的莱拉表示，他在背书加林多时并不了解她关于以色列和犹太复国主义言论的全部范围。他表示自己谴责了她的言论，但如果选民将她视为唯一批评以色列的候选人，她仍有可能在周二获胜。
“她给了那些人一个集结的口号，”他说道。“尽管他们可能并不完全赞同她的极端言论，但他们可能会说，‘你知道吗，至少她敢于发声’。”
“民主党为以色列多数派”政治行动委员会主席布赖恩·罗米克表示，该选区的选民并不关心围绕以色列政策的争论。
“在我们需要赢下的真正选举和摇摆选区中，人们想谈论的是经济负担能力和遏制特朗普的极端主义，而不是反犹的集中营言论，”他说道。
进步派犹太组织J Street负责政治与数字战略的副总裁塔莉·德格鲁特表示，选民确实希望领导人追究以色列政府的责任。但她补充道，选民也能分清对以色列政府的合理批评与加林多“充满仇恨”且“不可接受”的言论之间的区别。
“民主党基础选民希望看到他们的当选官员以更清晰的道德立场和勇气，反对所有人都心知肚明的、针对巴勒斯坦人的非人道和不公正的以色列政府行径，”她说道。“我仍然信任民主党基础选民，知道我们的社群不会出来为这样的候选人投票。”
加林多的言论甚至让她过去的盟友都倒戈相向。支持亲以色列游说团体美国以色列公共事务委员会的Track AIPAC上周撤销了对加林多的背书，称她呼吁关押犹太复国主义者的言论“从根本上违背了我们组织对正义和正当程序的承诺”。
但自3月3日初选中拔得头筹以来，加林多一直受益于超级政治行动委员会“领先左翼”提供的近100万美元支持，该委员会通过邮寄广告和电视广告将她宣传为打击移民及海关执法局的进步派人士。全国民主党领导人表示，该委员会是共和党干预民主党初选的手段。
尽管“领先左翼”声称其“反对会将唐纳德·特朗普的议程传染给我们国家的MAGA极端分子”，但Punchbowl新闻报道称，其网站元数据中曾包含共和党筹款平台的链接。该组织还在内布拉斯加州和宾夕法尼亚州的民主党初选中进行干预，支持全国民主党认为竞争力较弱的候选人。
该超级政治行动委员会于上个月在美国联邦选举委员会注册，尚未披露其捐赠者，网站上可查的信息也十分有限。“领先左翼”未回应置评请求。
“我们当时只是适度担忧她的地面动员能力，”罗米克说道。“直到我们发现共和党人在扶持她时，我们才真正感到担忧。”
How a Texas Democrat rebuked by her party for antisemitism made it to the runoff
2026-05-26T09:00:08.197Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/politics/maureen-galindo-texas-israel-democrats
- A Democratic congressional candidate condemned by her own party for antisemitic remarks is running in Texas’ House runoff on Tuesday.
- Maureen Galindo proposed turning a detention center into a prison for Zionists and accused her opponent of treason. She denies that her remarks are antisemitic.
- National Democrats are working to stop her from advancing to the general election amid concerns about suspected Republican-linked super PAC support.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and housing advocate, caught Democrats off guard when she placed first in the March 3 primary for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, despite spending just a few thousand dollars on her campaign.
That surprise quickly turned to alarm as her use of antisemitic tropes in criticizing Israel and her primary rival Johnny Garcia — whose bid for the US House seat has been backed by a pro-Israel group — gained national attention, drawing widespread condemnation from members of both parties.
Now, Tuesday’s runoff election has become for many a referendum on Galindo’s remarks and a test of whether national Democrats, at a time of increasing anti-Israel sentiment in the party base, can stop her. Thanks in part to nearly $1 million in mysterious super PAC spending, Democrats are grappling with the possibility that Galindo could win the nomination — an outcome the party worries could jeopardize their chances in the district and tie them to rhetoric they’ve denounced.
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| CANDIDATE | VOTES |
| — | — |
| Maureen Galindo Democratic | -% – |
| Johnny Garcia Democratic | -% – |
“She does not reflect the values of Democrats, and she certainly doesn’t represent the values of San Antonio,” said Laura Barberena, a locally based Democratic strategist.
Galindo, who denies that her remarks are antisemitic, has attributed her success in the first round of the primary to grassroots support. She raised just $5,344.50 through the end of March — a fraction of what other candidates brought in — according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.
Texas Democrats instead point to an influx of infrequent voters who were drawn in by the competitive US Senate primary between state Rep. James Talarico and US Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
“That brought a lot of untraditional Democratic primary voters that may be not as informed,” said Bert Santibañez, a San Antonio-based Democratic strategist. “They go down the ballot, they see Maureen Galindo — a woman first name, Latino surname — and that gets the nod for them.” (Galindo has a Spanish surname, but has described herself as White.)
Democrats are banking on a smaller but more informed group of voters turning out for the runoff, compared to the primary electorate that narrowly backed Galindo over Garcia by just under 1,200 votes.
“People didn’t have much of an awareness of her more controversial statements and opinions in March, and now they do,” said Katherine Fischer, the executive director of the Texas Majority PAC, who said Garcia is a stronger candidate. “If you’re running for office there’s always a chance, but I think it’s tough for her at this point. I hope it is.”
Much of Galindo’s social media presence ahead of the primary focused on housing policy and criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She posted extensively about her opposition to a plan to fund a new stadium complex for the San Antonio Spurs and said she would support impeaching President Donald Trump and members of his administration, as well as prosecuting ICE agents. Some posts drew on her background as a marriage and family therapist, guiding followers on how to regulate their nervous systems.
But even before the March 3 vote there were signs that she was going beyond criticism of Israel and drifting into antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. She wrote in December that she wouldn’t accept Israel’s “blood money” and said in January that “Jewish church leadership has a dominant economic and political (& media) power that is very real, harmful, and should be named and criticized.”
She did not change course when she advanced to the runoff. During an interview with Texas Public Radio earlier this month, she claimed that the US is being occupied by Israel.
“Maybe Johnny Garcia and others who support him, or anybody who is supported by Israel, should be tried for treason,” she said, adding: “I’m just really concerned, though, about the genocide that Israel is doing, and that they might try to bring it here too.” (Israel has denied allegations, including those from a UN commission that it committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.)
Her remarks drew national attention last week, after she posted on her campaign Instagram account that, if elected, she would turn a local ICE detention center into a “prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.”
Galindo has pushed back on accusations that she wants to put Jewish people in detention centers. In a statement last week, she said her “proposal for Karnes Detention Center was NEVER for Jewish Zionists– it’s for BILLIONAIRE Zionists, regardless of religion. If they’ve done business for genocidal prison state materials or there’s evidence of pedophilia from Epstein files, they should be brought to trial.”
Asked for comment about the reaction to her campaign, Galindo referred to a similar statement on her website.
Despite the backlash, there are some in the state who say Galindo could still win Tuesday’s primary, further complicating Democrats’ hopes of holding the formerly blue seat. Texas Republicans last year redrew the 35th Congressional District, which Vice President Kamala Harris won by 34 points, into one that would have voted for Trump by 10 points in 2024, according to a CNN analysis.
Whoever wins Tuesday’s runoff will face either state Rep. John Lujan, a moderate who flipped a Democratic legislative seat, or Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz, who has Trump’s endorsement.
National Democratic groups have backed Garcia, a longtime Bexar County sheriff’s deputy. BDA PAC, a group associated with the House’s centrist Blue Dog Coalition, has spent nearly $1 million boosting Garcia, including a $300,000 investment ahead of the March 3 primary. Garcia has also received support from the Democratic Majority for Israel, which endorsed him in February.
Garcia, who narrowly came in second behind Galindo in March, said that if voters had been aware of her comments before the primary election there would have been a different result.
“It just goes to show that while she doubles down on her rhetoric, we have to double down on making sure that we win this race, because there’s so much at stake,” he said.
John Lira, who placed fourth in the Democratic congressional primary, said he, Galindo and a third candidate, Whitney Masterson-Moyes, agreed that if one of them made it into a runoff election with Garcia, the other two would endorse that candidate. Lira followed through after Galindo placed first, but rescinded his endorsement after The New York Times profiled Galindo’s antisemitic remarks in a May 11 op-ed.
“I know what leadership is supposed to look like, and how they’re supposed to carry themselves, and what they’re not supposed to say,” he said. “No public leader at all should be saying the things that Maureen is saying.”
Lira, who ran as a moderate, said he wasn’t familiar with the scope of Galindo’s comments about Israel and Zionism when he endorsed her. He said he condemned her remarks, but said there was a chance she could win on Tuesday if voters see her as the only candidate critical of Israel.
“She gives those folks a rallying cry,” he said. “Even though they might not agree with her to the maximum degree that she’s pushing, that her rhetoric is pushing it, they might say, ‘You know what, at least she’s speaking out.’”
Brian Romick, the chairman of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, said voters in the district aren’t focused on litigating Israel policy.
“In real elections and swing seats that we need to win, people want to talk about affordability and reining in the Trump excesses, not antisemitic internment camps,” he said.
Tali deGroot, the vice president of political and digital strategy for J Street, a progressive Jewish organization, said voters do want leaders to hold Israel accountable. But, she added, they can also see the distinction between legitimate critiques of Israel’s government and Galindo’s “hateful” and “unacceptable” comments.
“The Democratic base wants to see their elected officials speaking out with more moral clarity and courage against the acts of the Israeli government that everybody sees on their face are inhumane and unjust for the Palestinians,” she said. “I still believe in the Democratic base and voters, and know that our community is not going to show up and vote for candidates like this.”
Galindo’s remarks have now lost her support even from past allies. Track AIPAC, a group that opposes the pro-Israel lobbying group, rescinded its endorsement of Galindo last week, saying her call to imprison Zionists was “fundamentally in opposition to our organization’s commitment to justice and due process.”
But since coming in first in the March 3 primary, Galindo has benefited from nearly $1 million in support from Lead Left, a super PAC that has touted her in mailers and TV ads as a progressive who would take on ICE. National Democratic leaders say the PAC is a Republican effort to meddle in Democratic primaries.
Though Lead Left claims it “stands against MAGA extremists who will infect our country with Donald Trump’s agenda,” Punchbowl News reported that its website previously included links to a Republican fundraising platform in its metadata. The group has also intervened in Democratic primaries in Nebraska and Pennsylvania to back candidates the national party views as less competitive.
The super PAC, which registered with the Federal Election Commission last month, has not yet disclosed its donors and has limited information on its website. Lead Left did not respond to requests for comment.
“We were moderately concerned about her on the ground energy,” Romick said. “We didn’t become seriously concerned until we discovered that the Republicans are propping her up.”