Democratic political leaders are expressing outrage and sadness today after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and eliminated federal protections for abortion access.
“The Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban,” Speaker Pelosi said in her morning press conference following the release of the decision. “They can not be allowed to have a majority in Congress to do that.”
However, Pelosi donated $4,000 in 2021 to support the re-election of anti-abortion Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who earlier this week was declared the winner of an extremely tight run-off primary election against progressive, pro-choice candidate Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar won by just 289 votes.
Cuellar is the only House Democrat to vote last year against the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill to codify federal abortion protections, indicating that he is likely to vote with Republicans on restricting access to abortion. Pelosi made her donations to Cuellar two months after he took that vote.
Pelosi is far from alone among Democrats who have backed Cuellar. This year’s primary is the second cycle in a row that he has faced Cisneros, and both contests were nail-biters. In the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, at least 18 Democratic House and Senate members have donated to Cuellar through their campaigns or leadership PACs, offering him crucial support as he sought to fend off his pro-choice challenger.
In addition to these donors, Cuellar got endorsements from powerful Democratic House leadership members Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). "We're a diverse party and we have diverse opinions," Hoyer told reporters in May as he defended his endorsement of Cuellar. "Our platform says we're a pro-choice party... that does not mean that there's not room in our party for alternative voices."
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