Two Democratic representatives, Jared Moskowitz of Florida and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, have stated their intention to initiate daily votes to expel fellow Democrat Maureen Galindo from Congress, should Texas voters elect her this November. Their threat stems from Galindo’s controversial statements, which include calls for the imprisonment of ‘American Zionists.’
Galindo, a sex therapist campaigning in a Republican-leaning district, has publicly proposed converting a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center into a ‘prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.’ She further alleged in a social media post that many Zionists—defined as those who advocate for the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their historical homeland—are pedophiles who should face castration.
Moskowitz emphasized his conviction: ‘I don’t care if she gets sent here. I will vote to expel her and force a vote to expel her every single day.’ He drew a personal connection to the issue, citing his grandmother’s escape from Germany via the Kindertransport and his great-grandparents’ deaths in Auschwitz, stating, ‘My kids are never going to concentration camps.’
Galindo’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment. These antisemitic remarks surface as she competes in a May 26 runoff election, having secured the most votes in the Democratic primary for the San Antonio-based district. The district’s boundaries were recently redrawn, potentially increasing Republican chances of flipping the seat.
She has also accused her runoff opponent, Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy, of being funded by ‘Zionist terrorism and trafficking.’ A recent social media post from Galindo’s campaign declared, ‘When Maureen gets into Congress, she’ll write legislation so that all Zionism and support of Zionism is undoubtedly Anti-Semitic, since it’s Zionists harming the Semites.’
Moskowitz urged Democrats to prevent Galindo from reaching Congress. He expressed concern that the Democratic Party’s broad appeal has, in his view, inadvertently allowed for such ‘insane behavior,’ transforming extremism into something almost mainstream. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries deemed Galindo’s comments ‘disqualifying’ and, alongside Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Suzan DelBene, accused GOP groups of bolstering her candidacy, asserting that ‘Texans will not be fooled and will reject her at the ballot box next week.’
Both Moskowitz and Gottheimer see Galindo’s comments as indicative of a wider increase in antisemitism within political discourse. Gottheimer called for ‘zero tolerance for antisemitic-driven hatred’ from both parties, also criticizing Republicans for not uniformly condemning figures like podcaster Candace Owens, who frequently promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories. Gottheimer previously penned an op-ed in The New York Times criticizing some Democrats for aligning with far-left streamer Hasan Piker, known for controversial statements including claiming Hamas is ‘a thousand times better’ than Israel, referring to some Orthodox Jews as ‘inbred,’ and downplaying sexual violence during the October 7, 2023, attacks. Despite this, prominent Democrats such as Representatives Ro Khanna and Summer Lee, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, have associated with Piker.
When asked if Democrats are doing enough to combat antisemitism within their party, Moskowitz unequivocally responded, ‘No. We are not doing enough.’
