Henry Cuellar

Henry Cuellar, a Democrat, has represented the Twenty-Eighth Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2004.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Cozy with the GOP
Cuellar endorsed George W. Bush in 2000, and according to MSNBC, "Cuellar made some Democrats furious when a photo was published showing President Bush grabbing Cuellar's cheeks at the [2006] State of the Union. After liberal blogs posted the photo, [Cuellar's 2006 primary opponent Ciro] Rodriguez's campaign has raked in the cash, more than $70,000 from online donors, according to ActBlue, a Democratic online clearinghouse." 

In 2002 "Cuellar ran against Republican congressman Henry Bonilla. During that race, he received significant help from [Ciro] Rodriguez, then the congressman from San Antonio, who wanted to see the Democrats pick up Bonilla's seat. But after Cuellar narrowly lost, and after Texas Republicans -- in their controversial redistricting plan a year later -- reconfigured Rodriguez's district to include Cuellar's hometown of Laredo, Texas, Cuellar did what some thought was an act of betrayal: He challenged Rodriguez for his seat in the 2004 primary, and won. (Cuellar went on to defeat his Republican opponent in the general election, 59-39 percent.) That left a bad taste in the mouths of some Democrats in Texas and Washington, which only intensified after Cuellar arrived on Capitol Hill, and was seen as being a little too cozy with the GOP" 

Bio
Cuellar was born September 19, 1955, in Laredo, Texas. He is a graduate of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and holds a Juris Doctor and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas. Before becoming involved in politics, Cuellar was a lawyer and owned a private trade firm.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Cuellar was a lawmaker in the Texas House from 1987-2001, and was Texas Secretary of State in 2001.

In 2002, Cuellar gave Republican 23rd District Representative Henry Bonilla his closest contest ever, losing by only two percentage points. He was planning to challenge Bonilla again in 2004, but redistricting engineered by Tom DeLay shifted most of Laredo from the 23rd to the more reliably Democratic 28th district. In a hotly contested primary, Cuellar defeated incumbent Democrat Ciro Rodriguez (See Controversy below). The district was so heavily Democratic that his victory in November was a foregone conclusion.

Congressional career
Cuellar describes himself as a "moderate conservative" and has signaled an interest in joining the Blue Dog Coalition.

2006 elections
No major candidates announced their intentions to contest Cuellar’s seat in the November 2006 election. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Conservation Credit Rural Development and Research
 * Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
 * House Committee on Homeland Security
 * Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism
 * Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response
 * House Committee on Small Business
 * Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Agriculture
 * Subcommittee on Conservation Credit Rural Development and Research
 * Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
 * Subcommittee on Department Operations Oversight Dairy Nutrition and Forestry
 * House Committee on Budget

Resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

Articles

 * MSNBC "A political shootout in a south Texas district" February 9, 2006.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Fort Bend Democrats
 * South Texas Chism
 * Burnt Orange Report