Jessica Cisneros

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Jessica Cisneros

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 24, 2022

Personal

Birthplace

Laredo, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Jessica Cisneros (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 28th Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary runoff on May 24, 2022.

Biography

Cisneros earned a bachelor's from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015 and a master's from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2018. Cisneros' professional experience includes working as an attorney, an immigrant rights advocate, and as a clerk.

Elections

2022

See also: Texas' 28th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 28

Incumbent Henry Cuellar defeated Cassy Garcia in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 28 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry Cuellar (D)	56.7	93,803
		Cassy Garcia (R)	43.3	71,778

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 165,581
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rafael Alcoser III (Independent)

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 28

Incumbent Henry Cuellar defeated Jessica Cisneros in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 28 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry Cuellar	50.3	22,895
		Jessica Cisneros	49.7	22,614

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,509
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 28

Cassy Garcia defeated Sandra Whitten in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 28 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cassy Garcia	57.0	8,485
		Sandra Whitten	43.0	6,413

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,898
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 28

Incumbent Henry Cuellar and Jessica Cisneros advanced to a runoff. They defeated Tannya Benavides in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 28 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry Cuellar	48.7	23,988
✔		Jessica Cisneros	46.6	22,983
		Tannya Benavides	4.7	2,324

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,295
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 28

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 28 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cassy Garcia	23.5	5,923
✔		Sandra Whitten	18.0	4,534
		Steven Fowler	13.5	3,388
		Willie Vasquez Ng	13.3	3,358
		Ed Cabrera	13.3	3,343
		Eric Hohman	11.9	2,988
		Rolando Rodriguez	6.4	1,622

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,156
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Texas' 28th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 28th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

Texas' 28th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 28

Incumbent Henry Cuellar defeated Sandra Whitten and Bekah Congdon in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 28 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry Cuellar (D)	58.3	137,494
		Sandra Whitten (R)	39.0	91,925
		Bekah Congdon (L)	2.7	6,425

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 235,844
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 28

Incumbent Henry Cuellar defeated Jessica Cisneros in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 28 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Henry Cuellar	51.8	38,834
		Jessica Cisneros	48.2	36,144

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 74,978
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 28

Sandra Whitten advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 28 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sandra Whitten	100.0	20,656

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,656
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 28

Bekah Congdon advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 28 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Bekah Congdon (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jessica Cisneros did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jessica Cisneros completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cisneros' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jessica Cisneros. I'm an immigration and human rights attorney and proud Mexican-American woman running for Congress in Texas' 28th district to fight for working families. I was born and raised in the border town of Laredo, Texas and have both my undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas. During my career, I specialized in representing people in immigration court as they faced deportation proceedings while detained. South Texas needs a champion in Congress, and I'm running to be a true Democratic leader for my community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I'm an immigration and human rights attorney and I've spent years fighting for families in South Texas. I'm running for Congress because I've lived through so many of the struggles that far too many people in my community face. I'm a working class person, have lost family members because they could not afford healthcare, and have personally seen so many families torn apart by our cruel immigration system.
• I'm not taking a dime from corporate PACs or lobbyists because I only want to be accountable to the people of my community when I get to Washington.
• When elected, I will fight to ensure that healthcare is a right and not a privilege; I'll advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and keeps families together; and I'll work to increase the minimum wage so people are not forced to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm an immigration and human rights attorney who grew up on the border, the daughter of Mexican immigrants. During my career, I specialized in representing people in immigration court as they faced deportation proceedings while detained. I also participated in a groundbreaking program that became the first in the nation public defender model to provide the right to counsel for people facing detained immigration proceedings. While in law school, I served as a Pro Bono Scholar and worked with the faculty to create the Women in Immigration Detention Assistance Project, which assisted asylum seekers at the Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas.

I support a pathway to citizenship for our undocumented brothers and sisters, revamping the visa system, strengthening family reunification, and creating a humane border and immigration policy by scrapping disastrous laws like the 1996 IIRIRA bill. As a removal defense attorney, I've seen the consequences of this administration's cruelty in the courtroom firsthand -- which is why I'm an advocate for an independent immigration court system that would not be subject to the whim of any administration.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A genuine commitment to serving the people of your community. Far too many elected officials have lost sight of the folks who vote them into office - they care more about their big donors than about the hopes and dreams of their constituents. Elected officials should be driven day-in-and-day-out to fight for the needs of those they serve.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Throughout this campaign, I've talked about how my story is an example of what happens when you invest in our communities in South Texas and give us the opportunity to succeed. I hope that the legacy of my campaign will be that when those of us from South Texas -- this beautiful multi-cultural community that is so often talked about so rarely heard from -- when we invest in organizing and building a powerful movement we can make a tremendous amount of positive change.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event I remember was 9/11/2001. I was eight years old and in elementary school.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

All I Do is Win by DJ Khaled

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

It's going to take years to undo the damage that President Trump has done to our democracy. Our current system, from the courts to the state legislatures, to Congress, have become far too polarized. We need to fight to ensure that every elected official is beholden only to their constituents and will legitimately have the best interests of their districts at heart. We must come together around our shared values and goals of delivering for our communities.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes! The Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. As an immigration and human rights attorney, and as someone who's spent time in the facilities detaining so many migrants that come to the US, I look forward to advocating for a more humane immigration policy. Additionally, far too many communities here in South Texas lack proper investment in infrastructure and job opportunities. For example, in my hometown of Laredo, Texas, a city of a quarter of a million people, for weeks we weren't able to drink the tap water. I similarly look forward to advocating for greater investment and pushing for a comprehensive federal infrastructure package that will bring improvements as well as thousands of good-paying jobs to our communities.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I think that there should be term limits for all elected officials. Our country is filled with bright, ambitious, and passionate people who should have the opportunity to bring innovation and fresh thought to our political world. A lack of term limits and the natural advantage that comes from incumbency prevents new talent from engaging in the political process.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Cisneros’ campaign website stated the following:

“	Getting big money out of politics ‍Our campaign is about restoring dignity to the hardworking people of the 28th district. That’s why I'm committed to running a grassroots, people-powered campaign. Unlike Congressman Cuellar, I'm not accepting any corporate PAC money, and I will only answer to the people of our district. I support getting big money out of politics and overturning Citizens United, which allows corporations and other special interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money in our elections. But it’s not enough that I take that pledge –– we need to end the influence of corporate money in our elections and bring trust back to our government. I’m ready to take that fight to Washington. Being a champion for working Texans ‍My parents came to this country before I was born and started off as farmworkers. My father transitioned into the trucking industry 30 years ago and has been a truck driver ever since. As a child, I watched as my parents, neighbors, and too many members of my community worked long hours and still struggled to get by. I remember the stress of living paycheck to paycheck, a struggle so many families in our district continue to face today. I look forward to being a true champion for the working people of our district in Washington, which is why since day one I've advocated for a federal $15/hour minimum wage indexed to inflation. I know that our country is strongest when we have a vibrant middle class and where everyone has an equal opportunity to live a meaningful life. This can’t be done without strong labor laws that allow workers to negotiate for proper pay, good working conditions, and benefits they deserve. I will proudly advocate for the power of workers to organize and bargain collectively; unlike Congressman Cuellar, I would support the PRO Act, which takes critical steps toward ensuring workplace fairness. I also support using the joint-employer standard outlined by the NLRB in 2015 and oppose so-called “right to work” laws that weaken unions. I also support closing tax loopholes that encourage jobs and investments to be outsourced. Finally, I will fight for increased federal investment in public services across the board; from public transportation, to education, public health, and environmental protection. Many areas of TX-28 lack basic infrastructure, and I will wholeheartedly support federal legislation that directs additional resources to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and creates good-paying jobs for our district. I also will oppose privatization schemes that reduce the quality of services and eliminate middle-class jobs here in Texas. Advocating for our families ‍ In Congress, I'll fight to make sure our families and our seniors are taken care of. I know the lack of a federal paid leave program disadvantages marginalized groups, leads to lower worker incomes, and often prevents caregivers from remaining in the workforce. According to the OECD, the United States is the only member country that still fails to require employers to provide any paid parental leave, which puts new parents -- particularly new mothers -- at a disadvantage. This is especially damaging for families of color who tend to have less existing resources and assets to draw on when forced to take unpaid leave. According to BLS, only 38 percent of Latino workers have paid sick time, compared with 60 percent of white workers. I support at least 12 weeks of paid universal family and medical leave and at least 7 days of paid sick leave. In Congress, I will also support efforts to expand social security benefits and make the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes to help secure social security far into the future by eliminating the Social Security "tax cap." I will always protect Social Security and Medicare, and I'll stand up to efforts to privatize Social Security and cut Medicare benefits because I know seniors have paid into Social Security and Medicare all their lives, and they've earned it. ‍ Fixing our broken immigration system ‍I’m an immigration and human rights attorney who grew up on the border, the daughter of Mexican immigrants. During my career, I specialized in representing people in immigration court as they faced deportation proceedings while detained. I also participated in a groundbreaking program that became the first in the nation public defender model to provide the right to counsel for people facing detained immigration proceedings. While in law school, I served as a Pro Bono Scholar and worked with the faculty to create the Women in Immigration Detention Assistance Project, which assisted asylum seekers at the Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas. I support a pathway to citizenship for our undocumented brothers and sisters, revamping the visa system, strengthening family reunification, and creating a humane border and immigration policy by scrapping disastrous laws like the 1996 IIRIRA bill. As a removal defense attorney, I’ve seen the consequences of this administration's cruelty in the courtroom firsthand -- which is why I’m an advocate for an independent immigration court system that would not be subject to the whim of any administration. Making health care a right, not a privilege ‍ No family should have to go into Mexico to receive safe and affordable medical treatment, and no one should die from not being able to afford care. In South Texas, when faced with high medical costs, we support each other by doing plate sales and selling raffle tickets. In Congress, I will fight to ensure that health care is a right, not a privilege. That’s why I support Medicare For All, which would insure every American resident with comprehensive health care while lowering overall costs to families, small businesses, and government. I also believe women and families deserve access to comprehensive family planning resources and contraception. Women on the border shouldn’t be forced to go into Mexico to receive health care services like mammograms and pap smears. I firmly believe in every person’s right to choose and make decisions about their own lives and their own bodies. Ensuring equal access to opportunity for our children ‍ Like so many other families in South Texas, my parents worked hard to make sure my sister and I had the opportunity to focus on school and succeed -- and through hard work, I became a lawyer and my sister is became a doctor. But I know my family’s American Dream is the exception, not the rule. I’m proud to receive the support of our local teachers’ unions. In Congress, I will fight for universal pre-K, tuition-free public college and trade school, and eliminating student debt, so every South Texan has a fair shot at their own dreams. Our teachers are our heroes, but so often their salaries and their livelihoods are the first cuts that Washington makes when they look at a budget. Our classrooms are understocked, our educators are underpaid, and our students are undervalued. That must change. Caring for our planet and combating climate change ‍ Climate change is a local, national, and global issue that cannot be overstated. I know that my future and the next generation’s future is dependent on bold leaders who will step up to defend our planet. As climate change continues to worsen and threaten our health, safety, and prosperity, we see the global effects from our community right here in South Texas. I support a Green New Deal because I believe the way we address climate change needs to be as aggressive as the threat it poses. Through a Green New Deal, we will be able to create countless new jobs in our community that we desperately need and we will protect our planet and the future of South Texas. Fighting for the safety of our communities ‍ The level of gun violence in our country is not normal. I will fight back against the normalization of tragic deaths caused by guns by changing laws and supporting all research related to this issue. Gun violence has touched our district, and polling shows that more and more Latinx Texans support strong gun safety legislation. Our community experienced heartbreak when we lost 26 of our own in the senseless Sutherland Spring tragedy. Although not in our district, the El Paso mass shooting that took the lives of 22 people shocked our community and all Latinx people living along the border. South Texans know that believing in the second amendment and supporting common sense gun legislation are not mutually exclusive. We need to make our communities and our schools safer by instituting violent history checks and a ban on bump stocks, high capacity magazines, assault weapons, and weapons of war. I’ll always put the safety of our community first, and unlike my opponent, I pledge not to take a dime from the NRA or the gun lobby. Guaranteeing equality for all ‍ As an immigration and human rights attorney, I’ve seen how our immigration system fails to support the LGBTQ+ community, and I will use my position in Congress to advocate for more LGBTQ-informed medical treatment at the border. I also fully believe that gender-affirming procedures and treatments should be covered for any transgender individual who chooses them through Medicare for All. As a woman of faith, not only would I oppose efforts that allow individuals to use religious beliefs as a justification for discrimination, but I am looking forward to being a leading voice on this issue to show that prejudice has no place in our policies or our faith. I know every American deserves federally-protected equality when it comes to housing, education, public spaces, and employment and I am prepared to fight for this legislation at every level. ‍	”
—Jessica Cisneros

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Candidate

U.S. House Texas District 28

Website

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Footnotes

[show]

Texas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Cornyn (R)

Ted Cruz (R)

Representatives

District 1

Nathaniel Moran (R)

District 2

Daniel Crenshaw (R)

District 3

Keith Self (R)

District 4

Pat Fallon (R)

District 5

Lance Gooden (R)

District 6

Jake Ellzey (R)

District 7

Lizzie Fletcher (D)

District 8

Morgan Luttrell (R)

District 9

Al Green (D)

District 10

Michael McCaul (R)

District 11

August Pfluger (R)

District 12

Craig Goldman (R)

District 13

Ronny Jackson (R)

District 14

Randy Weber (R)

District 15

Monica De La Cruz (R)

District 16

Veronica Escobar (D)

District 17

Pete Sessions (R)

District 18

Vacant

District 19

Jodey Arrington (R)

District 20

Joaquin Castro (D)

District 21

Chip Roy (R)

District 22

Troy Nehls (R)

District 23

Tony Gonzales (R)

District 24

Beth Van Duyne (R)

District 25

Roger Williams (R)

District 26

Brandon Gill (R)

District 27

Michael Cloud (R)

District 28

Henry Cuellar (D)

District 29

Sylvia Garcia (D)

District 30

Jasmine Crockett (D)

District 31

John Carter (R)

District 32

Julie Johnson (D)

District 33

Marc Veasey (D)

District 34

Vicente Gonzalez (D)

District 35

Greg Casar (D)

District 36

Brian Babin (R)

District 37

Lloyd Doggett (D)

District 38

Wesley Hunt (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (12)

Vacancies (1)