Republican leaders are retracting financial support from Texas’ 28th Congressional District, reflecting the challenges they encounter in their efforts to unseat Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar this upcoming election cycle, despite the party’s strategic redistricting aimed at his removal.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that acts as the primary financial resource for House Republicans, is withdrawing $3 million previously set aside for advertising in the 28th District. This decision comes as the funds will now be redirected to support campaigns in the adjacent 15th and 34th Congressional Districts. Like the 28th, the 34th was also redrawn last summer with aspirations of flipping it to Republican control. Meanwhile, Republicans find themselves on the defensive in Representative Monica De La Cruz’s 15th District.
This shift in strategy highlights the reality that the Republican mid-decade redistricting plan has not been as secure as they had anticipated. In 2025, the Texas Legislature modified the congressional map with the goal of gaining five additional seats, including Cuellar’s district based in Laredo.
In the redistricting process, areas within San Antonio were removed, replaced by new territories in Hidalgo County, a predominantly Hispanic region in the Rio Grande Valley that notably supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election—marking a historic first for a Republican presidential candidate in decades. Although the district’s redesign changed it from one that Trump won by a 7-point margin to one he would have carried by 10 points, it also narrowly increased the percentage of votes received by House Democrats, a statistic Cuellar readily mentions when discussing his prospects.
Cuellar’s Republican challenger this cycle is Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, a seasoned politician who switched parties in 2024. Tijerina is viewed as a significant asset for the GOP, with party members hopeful that a combination of Cuellar’s ongoing legal troubles, the redrawn district, national Republican funding, and Tijerina’s background would overshadow Cuellar’s resilience.
The financial adjustment follows Speaker Mike Johnson’s recent rally in Texas alongside Tijerina and other Republican candidates from South Texas. In an interview, Johnson expressed skepticism about prevailing polling data, suggesting it is misrepresentative.
While public polling on the race has been limited, a Texas Southern University poll conducted in August indicated Cuellar leading by an 11-point margin. Polls have consistently revealed a decline in Trump’s approval ratings among Latino voters, despite his previous strong performance with Hispanic constituents in 2024.
The Congressional Leadership Fund has already invested $4.6 million in the race thus far, according to data from ad tracking firm AdImpact. The two districts in South Texas that are now the focus of the reallocated $3 million—held by De La Cruz and Democrat Vicente Gonzalez—were both won by Trump with significant margins, highlighting the challenging political landscape Republicans must navigate during a difficult midterm season. A majority of eligible voters in these districts are Hispanic, with Trump winning De La Cruz’s 15th District by 18 points and Gonzalez’s newly configured seat by 10 points.
Cuellar, noted for being one of the most centrist Democrats in the House, successfully defended his seat in 2024 against an underfunded Republican candidate by nearly 6 points, even as Trump carried the district. Last year, Cuellar was facing serious federal charges related to bribery and money laundering, but he received a full pardon from Trump last December, coinciding with his reelection filing as a Democrat—a move that Trump has since said he regrets, believing Cuellar might have switched parties.
Even prior to the withdrawal of advertising funds, Republicans had openly acknowledged Cuellar’s formidable candidacy. In a September interview, Cuellar expressed confidence in his re-election efforts and his ability to attract Trump supporters.
“Historically, I have performed better than any Democrat at both state and national levels in my district,” Cuellar stated. “I consistently receive strong support from both Republicans and independents, and I expect this trend to continue.”
