>> Joining us now, the person running for Texas 28th District against incumbent Henry
Cuellar, Jessica Cisneros.
Jessica, how are you?
>> Hi, how are you doing?
I'm so excited to be here with you all.
Thank you for inviting me on the show.
>> Absolutely, we're excited to have you.
Now, you're running as Democratic incumbent, you are a Justice Democrat, so you are trying
to serve justice to Cuellar.
Why is that?
Now, the rest of the media will tell you, he's a Democrat, he is on your team.
Why are you challenging him?
>> Because the people of South Texas deserve better, it's plain and simple.
Cuellar calls himself a Democrat, but he's not a Democrat.
We're having someone in office that just has a D next to his name, but he's fundraising
for Republicans.
He's taking money from Exxon Mobil, the NRA, the Koch brothers.
In a district like mine, where we're solidly Democrat, to have somebody acting like a Republican
and say that they represent our community, that's completely unacceptable.
And I was born and raised here in Laredo, and I'm a daughter of Mexican immigrants,
and I come here.
I'm from the Sal Si Puedes neighborhood, and I'm here to fight for la gente, I'm here to
fight for the people of South Texas, and we're ready.
>> So Jessica, were you briefly an intern for Cuellar?
>> Yes, I was.
I was interning with him in 2014, spring semester 2014.
>> And what did you learn while you were there about him?
>> I learned that I could do the job, and I can do a better one.
>> Yes, yes.
>> Yes, this is coming.
>> I was 20 years old at that time, so I couldn't run then.
But I was quietly observing, and I saw that he was very silent on many of the issues that
are important for us here in South Texas.
And again, I was there.
I saw things that I didn't I didn't agree with, and I remember telling myself then that
I need to prepare myself.
Because one day, I'm going to be an advocate for my community, and the opportunity came
this cycle, and now I'm here and ready to go.
>> So Jessica, I don't know that you could answer this question.
But as I looked at Cuellar's record, it's so deeply Conservative.
A rating from the NRA, unbelievable.
He votes with Trump's nearly 70% of the time.
I kept thinking, why?
Why does he take Koch brothers' money in a deeply blue district?
Why does Club for Growth?
That's the thing that helps rich people cut their taxes and corporations cut their taxes,
and it hurts average Americans so much.
Why does he bother doing it in a deeply blue district?
>> Because he's been taking the people of South Texas for granted.
Nobody has been challenging him.
He was elected in 2004, hasn't had a challenger since 2006, so he's just been taking the people
of South Texas for granted and has been acting as a Republican in office.
But now, he has a challenger, and yes, it's completely outrageous.
Especially because he is also the son of Mexican immigrant, and here he is taking money from
private person's like the GO group that is- >> The worst.
>> Incarcerating people from the community and is separating families.
How can he stand by this, and how can he take money from them?
>> So Jessica, I'm really curious to hear about some of the feedback you've already
received in challenging this Democrat.
Now, some might argue, hey, Texas is changing in terms of its electoral politics, but it's
still a red state, and he's just playing ball in order to have some Democratic representation
in the state.
What would you say to those individuals who make that argument?
Do you think that the state of Texas is ready for a real progressive?
>> I mean, we've been ready.
Today was the first day of the launch, and they've already been out there and talking
to people, and we've had overwhelming support from them.
Many members of the community, especially women that are coming up to me, and they're
telling me, thank you for running.
Thank you for having the courage to do this, because nobody had been standing up.
And that is an amazing feeling because they're seeing themselves in our campaign, they're
seeing themselves represented for the first time in what, 12 years.
So no to the people that say that South Texas isn't ready for Progressive, that's not true.
We just haven't had a choice, but we do have have a choice now.
>> So I wanna be clear on a couple of things.
Jessica is not taking any quarterback money.
Of course, she's a Justice Democrat, not taking any lobbyist money.
Do you know what percentage of Cuellar's money came from small dollar donations?
>> Less than 1%.
>> For the last cycle, it was a little less than $6,000, and in the first 4 hours that
we launched, we surpassed that.
>> Yeah, that's so funny.
Okay, so Jessica had, in essence, two goals.
The first one was passes small dollars donation, that got done in about one minute, okay.
The second was trying to raise a $100,000 on the first day.
Number one, you need that money to run.
You need a campaign manager, you need a film director, you need this team to be able to
actually win this seat and take it away from somebody who votes for Trump 70% of the time
when it's a deeply blue seat.
And there's no reason why he should have it.
Number two, you needed for extra media coverage, because if you have a lot of money, then the
media goes, wow, Jessica Cisneros.
Then we have to take her seriously, etc., which then gives you a further bump up.
So look, I wanna give those websites and links to right away when I give it again at the
end.
But it's obviously jessicacisnerosforcongress.com.
But you could also do the website slash donate and slash volunteer.
Remember, a lot of these Justice Democratic candidates are powered by their volunteers
as well as your small dollar donations.
She's, I think, right around 50,000 now, so we got about 12 hours left or so to get to
the second 50,000.
So all the money obviously goes to her campaign, let's try to make that happen.
>> Yes, please.
I mean, I'd appreciate all the support, because we need a primary, we're almost a Republican,
cuz it's true.
Democrats like way out, because by having Democrats like him in office, it's just a
disservice to Democrats everywhere.
If he's not gonna get in line with the party and actually fight for what people in South
Texas, or Democrats everywhere need, then we don't need somebody like that in office.
>> So Jessica, there have been some news reports regarding the Koch brothers and how fearful
they are of more AOC-like representatives getting elected into Congress.
And so as a result, they've kind of shifted their fundraising strategy toward Establishment
Democrats who are being primaried.
Is that something that concerns you at all?
>> No, because I really do think that this race is for la gente, for la people, and that's
gonna show up, people are gonna recognize that.
So no, we're not afraid.
I mean, we knew coming in what we're facing.
And I mean, we're here, we're fighting it out.
>> Okay, so Jessica, you've gotten a series of accomplishments even at such a young age.
You're a lawyer, you're a lawyer for immigrants and the human rights causes.
You won the Deans Achievement Award, the Texas Law Fellowship Excellence in Public Interest
Award.
You were first in your class in high school.
But why run?
How did you get roped into running for Congress?
>> I mean, it sincerely, it came from, well, first of all, that experience of working with
the Office of Henry Cuellar and saying that he was silent on so many issues.
But secondly, and more recently, it has been my work as a lawyer.
It's heartbreaking to work so hard and present the best case possible for your clients, and
then to have judges say, I wanna help you, but I can't because the law just isn't there.
And it was very infuriating.
But it made me recommit to this because I felt like, well, if the law is the problem,
then let's go to Congress and change it.
>> And I know you went through the Justice Democratic process.
Can you tell us how they found you in the first place?
>> Yes, so my high school teacher and mentor, John he was the one that nominated me.
John has been a very influential person in my life.
From the moment I stepped to his classroom, he recognized my fiery passion for social
change and giving back to my community, and he nurtured it.
I told him I wanted to be a lawyer, and he sat me down and started going through LSAT
practice questions and stuff, because I was gonna go to law school after college.
And throughout college, throughout law school, he's always been a great mentor.
And just like him, there are so many other educators in South Texas that do the same
thing for their students.
And they aren't getting paid that much, which is ridiculous.
And we're not investing in our schools, we're not investing in our children, so then, what
are we doing?
What are we doing?
We need to stand up and invest in our communities.
>> So, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, you're taking out a Democratic incumbent.
And obviously, they were vastly underestimated, to the great regret of the incumbents who
ran against them.
And here you are again.
Now, Cuellar, again, is not only Trump's favorite Democrat, and he's been given that title.
But he was also given the title of Big Oil's favorite Democrat, and so you couldn't find
a more corporate Democrat to run against.
And you couldn't find a more compelling story than having your teacher nominate you through
justicedemocrats.com/nominate, and now you're on your path.
So Jessica, last question for you.
Nonetheless, he's gonna way out-raise you, right?
So they've also blocked your ability to use any other Democratic organization, consultant
or otherwise.
And you wouldn't want Democratic consultants giving you advice on policy, then you'd lose.
But there are other services that are offered.
And that has not been cut off because of the DCCC's decision to back corporate democrats
and incumbents exclusively, no matter how conservative they are, so.
>> Decision, I think, is very generous to them.
They're undemocratic and weak actions, I would say.
>> Yes, that was Cheri Bustos and the entire Democratic leadership, because they don't
want real people like Jessica in office.
They want corporate corrupt Democrats like Cuellar.
They've made their bed, that's clear.
But it does make your job harder.
So what's your plan for defeating him?
>> My plan is to simply go and talk to the people of South Texas and talk about Cuellar's
lackluster record.
And it's unfortunate that the DCCC is taking a position like that, because again, they're
saying it under the pretext of protecting Democratic seats.
But again, you have someone like Cuellar who is fundraising for Republicans, and that has
serious consequences.
John Carter was reelected, and instead, we could have had a Democrat in that seat, and
we don't because thanks to Henry Cuellar.
>> Yeah, and by the way, that seat that Cuellar cost the Democrats.
It wasn't like it was a 10-20 point blowout.
>> No.
>> He was 51-48, barely lost, barely lost.
>> That's right.
>> The reason the Republicans won that seat is because of a turncoat like Cuellar.
So he's not on our team in any way, shape, or form.
Even if you were in the party of in the Campbell, well, if he's got a D on his helmet, no matter
what.
No, he actively fought against fellow Democrats.
>> That is right.
>> No excuse whatsoever.
All right, everybody check out jessicacisnerosforcongress.com, and obviously, jessicacisnerosforcongress.com/donate.
That's the most important.
Today we gotta get over $100,000.
Any amount will help, a buck, three bucks.
27 bucks right here is a good number.
If you got any more, God bless your heart, do it 100 bucks.
Let's take out Trump's favorite man and Democratic Party.
Jessica, thank you so much for joining us, really appreciate it.
>> Gracias, you all, thank you for talking to me.