Like Kanye West, Galindo May Learn Whether The Damage Is Political Or Permanent
Democratic House candidate Maureen Galindo just pulled a Kanye West: she made comments widely condemned as antisemitic, and the response was immediate, loud and election-threatening.
Galindo, a progressive San Antonio housing activist known online for criticizing billionaire-backed development projects like Project Marvel and the downtown Missions stadium, is now facing bipartisan condemnation and accusations of antisemitism after she said she wanted to turn an immigration detention facility into a “prison for American Zionists” if elected – leaving Democrats scrambling to ostracize her from the party and alleging that conservative groups may be propping up her campaign.
TX-35 Runoff Becomes A Larger Fight, Democrats Move To Distance Themselves From Galindo
Galindo is running against Johnny Garcia in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, which includes parts of San Antonio and nearby counties. The district was once considered solidly blue, but has become more competitive after Texas Republicans redrew the map to make it more favorable to the GOP.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Suzan DelBene, who called the language disqualifying and said it had no place in the Democratic Party. Texas’s most prominent Democrat, James Talarico, who is running for a Senate seat, endorsed Garcia and told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would not campaign with Galindo. Even the local Bexar County Democratic Party released a statement denouncing Galindo. There’s also a push from Democrats to expel Galindo should she win the TX-35 runoff.
“If for some reason Maureen Galindo wins the Congressional election in TX-35, as soon as she is sworn in, we will force a vote to expel her every single day we are here,” lawmakers Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Jared Moskowitz of Florida said in a joint statement on X.
Garcia said Galindo was “pushing conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric”, adding: “That’s why Republicans are spending to boost her campaign … they see her as the easy opponent to beat this November.”
But there is also a larger conversation happening underneath all of this outrage, and it is about how Democrats can’t seem to grasp voters’ concerns, particularly among younger voters, about Israel’s influence in American government.
AIPAC, Israel And Younger Voters Remain Part Of The Debate
Among many voters, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Netanyahu and American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) money have become defining political issues since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, making it a hot topic in elections from the 2024 presidential election to the Democratic primary U.S. Senate race in Texas between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett.
According to Pew Research Center, negative views of Israel, Netanyahu continue to rise among Americans – especially young people. Pew found that 60% of U.S. adults have an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53% last year, and that in both political parties, majorities of adults under the age of 50 now rate Israel and Netanyahu negatively.
The word “Zionist” has garnered different meanings depending on who is saying it and who hear hears it. According to Merriam-Webster, Zionism is defined as a movement originally focused on establishing a Jewish national or religious community in historic Palestine and later supporting modern Israel. For many Palestinians and their supporters, it is tied to displacement, occupation, and a comparative “white supremacist” movement. Those two contrasting realities are part of why the conversation is so tense.
Voters Are Asking Questions Democrats Often Avoid
Voters are trying to have direct conversations about these issues that politicians are often trying to placate or avoid altogether. You see it on podcasts with Senator Cory Booker when asked a direct question about Netanyahu or AIPAC funding. You have popular grassroots watchdog social media pages such as @trackaipac that documents financial tracking, political spending, and campaign advertising linked to AIPAC.
Voters are noticing that, and many do not understand the draw Israel has on our government and politicians who accept AIPAC money, from the Cory Bookers down to the Johnny Garcias, Galindo’s runoff opponent.
That is why the AIPAC conversation has become so powerful in Democratic politics. It came up in races involving progressive candidates, such as the New York mayor’s race with Zohran Mamdani and the previously mentioned Crockett and Talarico Texas race. And now, it is part of the criticisms Galindo is aiming at Johnny Garcia in the TX-35 Democratic runoff.
Galindo may have had a point about pro-Israel money and Israel’s ties to American government being a major issue for voters. But the way she went about those concerns turned her efforts into a self-inflicted wound.
Galindo did not respond to a request for comment. A statement on her campaign website reads: “Maureen NEVER said that she wants anyone in internment camps!! She never said ‘internment camps’; that was a very unethical journalist desperate to take her down through a screenshottable article title.
But the clarification may not be enough to undo the damage. In Kanye West’s circumstance, not even an apology ad in the Wall Street Journal can help.
Kanye West, Galindo And The Uneven Consequences Of Hate Speech
Once someone crosses into antisemitic rhetoric, the mainstream response is immediate and unforgiving. Kanye West is the contemporary example of that standard. The issue is not that antisemitism should be tolerated. It should not, as all racism should be condemned. The issue is that anti-Black, anti-Brown and anti-immigrant rhetoric rarely receives the same swift, career-ending response.
With Galindo joining the ranks of Kanye West’s fall from grace, her comments may end whatever momentum she built before voters even reach the May 26 runoff. And even if she wins, Democrats have already made clear that the controversy would follow her into November, and possibly into Congress.
Until then, good night and good luck.
