A Texas Democrat who ignited outrage with her call for the imprisonment and castration of “billionaire Zionists,” lost her primary on Tuesday, but secured more than 40 percent of the vote.
Maureen Galindo, who espoused anti-Jewish and Israel-related conspiracies on a near-daily basis in the closing weeks of her campaign, had drawn widespread condemnation from her own party and Jewish groups.
Galindo’s opponent, Johnny Garcia, was projected to win the primary election with 59% of the vote as of Tuesday night, with 66% of votes tallied, according to a count by The Associated Press.
Galindo secured more than 5,700 votes in the Democratic Party primary in the 35th Congressional District runoff in Texas.
She won a primary in March in the district around San Antonio, with 29% of the vote, beating Garcia, who had 27%, leading to this week’s runoff to determine the party candidate.
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In Texas primaries, if no candidate wins a majority of the votes, the top two candidates face each other in a runoff election.
During the campaign, Galindo railed against “Zionist billionaire Jews,” blamed Israel for immigration enforcement in the US, demanded treason charges against politicians linked to Israel, said that Jews control Hollywood and the media, claimed Israelis were attempting to occupy and carry out a genocide in America, and referred to Jews “who worship Satan.”
She referred to Garcia and the local government as controlled by Israel or Zionist interests.
Galindo insisted she was not antisemitic, only anti-Zionist. She views anti-Zionist Jews as the “real Jews,” and accuses Zionist Jews of antisemitism.
Her insurgent candidacy sparked a crisis in the Democratic Party, as party leaders rallied to defeat her in Tuesday’s runoff.
Democratic leaders who are normally comfortable with anti-Zionism condemned her rhetoric as anti-Jewish.
“This bigoted garbage and antisemitism should be nowhere near our politics,” said New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Galindo’s statements about Zionists and Israel reflected a hodgepodge of conspiracies and anti-Jewish theories, blending views from the far right, far left, and the Middle East, as the lines continue to blur between anti-Zionism, antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.
Her mixed rhetoric reflects how anti-Zionist talking points are increasingly crossing over between the left and right, marking a rare point of convergence, and how the issue of Israel has riven US politics.
Galindo was reportedly receiving funding from a Republican-linked super PAC, apparently in an effort to ensure the weaker Democratic candidate ends up in the race against the Republican candidate.
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