Top House Democrats have moved to publicly distance the party from Maureen Galindo, a Texas congressional candidate who posted on Instagram that she would convert a federal immigration detention facility into a "prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking" and described many Zionists as "pedophiles." Galindo, a sex therapist and housing activist, finished first in the March Democratic primary for Texas' 35th Congressional District and faces Bexar County sheriff's deputy Johnny Garcia in a runoff scheduled for May 26.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene issued a joint statement Tuesday calling Galindo's language "vile" and "disqualifying," saying it has "no place in American politics, and certainly not in the Democratic Party." Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jared Moskowitz of Florida escalated the condemnation Wednesday, threatening to force daily House floor votes to expel Galindo if she wins the seat. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent progressive critic of Israeli military operations in Gaza, also backed Garcia and called Galindo's remarks "absolutely disgusting" and "bigoted garbage." The Texas Democratic Party has formally endorsed Garcia.

Galindo's comments are not limited to the Instagram post. During a May 13 appearance on Texas Public Radio, she said that anyone "supported by Israel should be tried for treason" and repeated claims described by critics as antisemitic tropes about Zionist influence over media, banking, and politics. In a statement to CNN, Galindo said her detention center proposal was directed at "billionaire Zionists, regardless of religion" and denied that her remarks were antisemitic.

The controversy has been amplified by the involvement of Lead Left PAC, a newly registered political action committee that has spent approximately $428,000 in the district, primarily on printing and postage to boost Galindo. The group registered with the Federal Election Commission on May 6 and has not yet been required to disclose its donors. Reporting from Punchbowl News and The New York Times identified links between the PAC's website metadata and WinRed, the principal fundraising platform used by Republican campaigns, and noted that Lead Left's advertising in Nebraska closely mirrored messaging previously used by a nonprofit tied to House Republican leadership. Jeffries and DelBene called on House Republicans to immediately cease spending in the race and forcefully condemn Galindo's comments.

The runoff outcome will determine which Democrat faces the winner of a separate Republican runoff between Trump-backed Air Force veteran Carlos De La Cruz and state Rep. John Lujan, who has the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas Republicans redrew the 35th District to be more favorable to the GOP, making the Democratic nominee's strength in the general election a significant factor for both parties. Garcia has said that Galindo's remarks have discouraged Democratic voters and damaged confidence in the party among members of San Antonio's Jewish community.