San Antonio Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo is facing heat after an article and an op-ed, both appearing over the weekend in the New York Times accused her of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media.
In response to the reports, Galindo doubled down on her rhetoric, telling the Current in a conversation Tuesday that she’s not antisemitic but instead is taking a stand against a cabal of “Zionist billionaire Jews” that controls the world.
“It’s all very complex. But, it’s my perception that Zionist billionaires run the world,” Galindo said. “They’re of all religions. But, especially Israeli, Jewish billionaire Zionists who disproportionately and factually own a lot of Hollywood production studios, media companies and banks.”
Galindo told the Current she has “no hatred toward any group,” except the “billionaire Zionists and their puppets.”
The accusations and Galindo’s response are the latest chapters in one of the most bizarre political stories this election season.
The self-proclaimed sex therapist and housing advocate ran an underdog populist campaign to represent Texas’ redrawn 35th District, which includes part of San Antonio. Despite her fringe rhetoric and meager funding, she ended up in the Democratic primary runoff against Johnny Garcia, a former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department public information officer.
Galindo said she didn’t read either of the New York Times pieces, which hit the street as her May 26 runoff looms. However, she said she suspects Zionist Jews and their collaborators are behind the so-called “hit pieces.”
The claim appears to dovetail sentiments she shared in a Facebook video last fall cited by the Times in which she warned that Jews and Christian Zionists are trying to bring about the End of Days via their control of Hollywood.
In her remarks to the Current, Galindo also said the Zionists are trying to sabotage her candidacy so that her opponent, Garcia, can retain control of Bexar County’s human trafficking networks, which, according to Galindo, are controlled by the Zionist billionaire Jews.
“That’s why we have so many Blue Dog Democrats here,” Galindo said. “The billionaire Zionists who own this area and the trafficking networks need to maintain control over it. They are also infiltrating our local governments, the Israeli billionaire Zionists. So, I think it’s important to expose that and call it out.”
In a statement to the Current, Garcia’s campaign rejected Galindo’s claims, stating the Garcia has never participated in illegal trafficking of humans, drugs or anything else.
“Reducing the very real dangers of human trafficking into an antisemitic conspiracy theory directed at Johnny, who has worked to keep the people of this community safe, is a new low for a campaign that’s become increasingly untethered from reality and has already denigrated and insulted Latinos,” Garcia’s campaign said. “Johnny is focused on winning this race and creating a more affordable future for families in TX-35 — period.”
Even so, Galindo released a statement early Wednesday that lobs new accusations against Garcia — this time maintaining he collaborated with Zionists to put immigrants and non-Zionist Jews in detention centers.
“Johnny Garcia is paid by Zionist terrorism and trafficking: Israel, ICE, and Prison industry profits,” Galindo wrote. “Therefore, JOHNNY GARCIA IS BEING PAID TO PUT JEWS AND MEXICANS IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS VIA ZIONIST TRAFFICKING NETWORKS.”
Confounding runoff
Even though Galindo’s claims create new headwinds for her grassroots campaign, many political observers were befuddled that she made it this far.
Despite spending less than $10,000 during the primary, Galindo finished first with 29% of the vote. Equally confounding, the race’s two losing candidates, John Lira and Whitney Masterson-Moyes, endorsed her over Garcia.
“I think the Democratic Party of Texas in Bexar County, in particular, maybe should have done more due diligence when it comes to encouraging candidates to run,” UT-San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor said of the results. “It says something when the third- and fourth-place finishers in this race both endorsed Galindo afterward. That tells me that there’s a messaging issue and a political split issue.”
Lira released a statement Tuesday afternoon withdrawing his endorsement of Galindo.
“Over the course of the runoff, I have become increasingly troubled by a series of derogatory, inflammatory and conspiratorial statements directed toward Jewish people and others,” he said.
Lira further noted that Galindo’s comments don’t reflect his values, adding “there is no place for the kind of rhetoric from individuals seeking public office.”
Unlikely ally?
The turmoil surrounding Galindo’s campaign matters since a number of political observers think Texas’s redrawn 35th Congressional District could be winnable for Democrats.
The new district — which includes portions of Guadalupe, Wilson, Karnes and southern Bexar County — swung 10 points for Trump in 2024. However, the district has a large Latino population which has likely soured on the president, Taylor said. Beyond that, rural issues such as data centers and water usage could sway some moderates to the left.
“Galindo could win the Democratic nomination and then be viewed as a crank,” Taylor said. “She is so far left that she’ll easily be painted by Republicans as being just so out there politically that she is a risk that voters don’t want to take.”
That notion isn’t lost on GOP operatives.
Over the weekend, mailers appeared in voters’ mailboxes telling voters that Galindo would dismantle ICE, champion free healthcare and have President Donald Trump arrested.
A shadowy Florida-based PAC called Lead Left, which lists its address as a Staples store in Tallahassee, spent $43,000 printing and distributing the flyers, according to a recent Punchbowl News investigation. The PAC could be a Republican front to prop up left-wing fringe candidates so their GOP rivals will come across as the more sane choice, the news outlet reports.
Punchbowl’s theory stems from WinRed, a Republican fundraising platform, being found in Lead Left’s website’s metadata.
Even so, Galindo told the Current her campaign hasn’t, and will never take any corporate PAC money, maintaining that neither she nor her campaign has had any contact with anyone from Lead Left.
“There is so much controlled opposition out there,” Galindo said. “I think that it was actually a Zionist-funded organization that tried to start that, which is ironic, because I think it’s actually the Zionists who are putting Jewish people at the most risk.”
Editorial intern Val Montalvo Contributed to this report.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and self-proclaimed professional astrologer has gathered a social media following by spinning left-wing conspiracy theories.
The Austin Democrat, who won his party’s nomination in March, led Cornyn and Paxton by margins of 3 and 5 percentage points, respectively. Both results were within the survey’s margin of error.
The governor’s letters to Austin, Dallas and Houston say the state will pull back state grants because of local policies that deter police from fully cooperating with immigration officials.