Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC linked to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), slashed spending in one of the top pickup opportunities for Republicans, a sign one of their premier races at the start of the cycle could be getting away from them.
According to AdImpact, CLF pulled $3 million out of Texas’s 28th Congressional District, anchored in Laredo, this week, drawing back their effort to oust 11-term incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) despite the seat being redrawn to slightly favor Republicans. Nonpartisan election forecasters have this seat favoring Democrats after it shifted from a “toss-up.”
CLF has spent more than $4.5 million in this race to date, according to AdImpact, before pulling $3 million in ad reservations that were set for the next three weeks. The money was moved down Route 83 to McAllen, where Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX) is in a competitive reelection, and Brownsville, home to Texas’s 34th Congressional District, held by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-TX).
The withdrawal marks a major shift in political calculus for Republicans. The seat has been heralded as a top opportunity for Republicans since the beginning of the election cycle after an underfunded GOP candidate came within 5 points of defeating Cuellar in 2024.
GOP LIKELY TO PICK UP ONLY FRACTION OF SEATS IT REDREW
Then, in 2025, the seat was one of five redrawn congressional districts when Republicans gerrymandered Texas’s map. Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina — who switched party registration from Democrat to Republican on Fox News in 2024 — then launched a campaign in December 2025 under the new district lines, expected to favor Republicans.
Tijerina was considered to be one of the top Republican recruits for the election cycle.
But President Donald Trump quickly threw a wrench into Tijerina and Republicans’ plans, as he pardoned Cuellar, who was set to face trial for corruption charges, the day after Tijerina launched his challenge to the longtime congressman.
Trump cited the Biden administration weaponizing “the Justice System against their Political Opponents” as the reason for his pardon, going on to say that the Texas Democrat was just “speaking the TRUTH” against open borders. Cuellar filed for reelection as a Democrat immediately after, enraging the president who believed he would switch parties or drop his reelection bid.
The lapse in spending comes just after Johnson appeared in the district with Tijerina and other Republican candidates Tuesday at a rally in McAllen, the second time in as many days a money withdrawal has occurred following a visit from Johnson, as CLF pulled money from Iowa’s 1st Congressional District shortly after a stop with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA).
Now, Republicans are prioritizing defending De La Cruz and trying to boost Eric Flores over the finish line against Gonzalez in a race they see as more winnable.
Democrats jumped on the spending shift and took a dig at Tijerina’s brief professional baseball career.
“Republican Leadership really gave up on @JudgeTano faster than Minor League Baseball which is really saying something,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Madison Andrus posted on X.
HERE ARE THE SEATS BOTH PARTIES ARE PULLING MONEY FROM AHEAD OF NOVEMBER
Trump won the district, which sits on the Mexico border, by more than 10 percentage points in 2024. Cuellar has made a name for himself breaking with his party on immigration and border policy, in the process drawing the ire among the Democratic Party base. Cuellar remains popular in his district after narrowly fending off a progressive primary challenger in 2022.
The Washington Examiner reached out to CLF for comment.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
