Dem running in tight race vows to vote for Nancy Pelosi, 'but then after that, it’s my district'

Moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas recently revealed that his first order of business at the start of Congress' new session would be voting for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to remain in her leadership position, and then he would focus on his district.

At the opening of his new campaign office in Texas, Cuellar told reporters that he could be counted on to vote for Pelosi to remain as House speaker. "My first vote is for Nancy Pelosi — no ifs, no but — but then after that, it’s my district," Cuellar said, according to a Texas Tribune newsletter Wednesday.

Fox News Digital reached out to Cuellar seeking further explanation regarding his comment that his district would come second to Pelosi if re-elected this fall, but the Democrat did not respond.

Cuellar has a history of moderate voting in Congress, being the only House Democrat to vote against the Women's Health Protection Act, a major Democrat-backed pro-abortion legislation, and also recently called out Vice President Kamala Harris, the border czar, after she claimed that the border was secure. 

REP. HENRY CUELLAR SAYS OBVIOUSLY THE BORDER IS NOT SECURE

"My message remains the same. The border is not secure, and we need to be doing more to dissuade migrants from coming to the United States," Cuellar told Fox News Digital.

Border state representative Cuellar is running a competitive House race this cycle to protect his seat in Texas' 28th Congressional District against Republican nominee Cassy Garcia, who thinks he is all talk and no action. 

TEXAS GOP HOUSE CANDIDATE GARCIA: DEMOCRAT CUELLAR ‘SAYS THE RIGHT THINGS,’ BUT VOTES AGAINST BORDER SECURITY

"Henry has been in office since I was in kindergarten. That's a long time. He has lost touch with our community. And this is evidenced by the fact that he votes 95% of the time with Nancy Pelosi, whose San Francisco values do not align with those of South Texas," Garcia told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" in September.

"The reality is that he has voted against infrastructure for the southern border, and that's why the National Border Patrol Council is endorsing me and not him in this race," she said.

Garcia said she has spoken to voters in the district about Cuellar's involvement at the border. "They tell me he's been there too long, and he says all the right things but has done nothing to secure our southern border," she added.

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Despite his opposition to Democrat's border policies and pro-abortion legislation, Cuellar has been supported by Pelosi in his re-election campaign, including in his Democratic primary race against a progressive challenger.