Jay Furman has emerged victorious in the Republican runoff primary race for Texas’s 28th Congressional District, setting the stage for a November showdown with incumbent Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar.
Furman, a retired Navy officer and rancher, defeated Lazaro Garza in Tuesday’s runoff, securing 44.8% of the vote to Garza’s 27.1%. The runoff was necessitated after no candidate surpassed the 50% threshold in the March primary, in which Furman received 44.8% of the vote, followed by Garza with 27.1%, Jose Sanz with 20.5%, and Jimmy Leon with 7.5%.
The 28th Congressional District encompasses a large swath of South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the race between Furman and Cuellar is expected to be competitive. Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, has drawn criticism from both his own party and Republicans for his positions on issues such as abortion and immigration. He was indicted earlier this month by the Biden administration on bribery and conspiracy charges related to alleged payments from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a Mexican bank.
The Cook Political Report currently rates the November race as “Lean Democrat,” but Furman’s runoff victory suggests that Cuellar may face a tougher-than-expected challenge. The outcome of the race will have implications for both parties, as Democrats seek to hold onto their narrow majority in the House of Representatives and Republicans aim to regain control.
