Retired Navy officer Furman advances past GOP primary runoff to take on federally indicted Texas Democrat

Jay Furman defeated Lazaro Garza in the Republican runoff primary race to decide who will square off against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who was indicted by the federal government on conspiracy and bribery charges earlier this month.

The GOP runoff primary for the 28th Congressional District was called Tuesday night for the winner, just after 8 p.m. local time Tuesday night.

Jay Furman, a retired Navy officer, and rancher Lazaro Garza were competing in a heavily-watched primary that will help determine the political future of Cuellar, who was indicted earlier this month by President Biden’s Justice Department. 

The investigation is connected to $600,000 in bribes Cuellar allegedly accepted along with his wife between 2014 and 2021 from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a bank in Mexico City to advance the former Soviet republic’s interests in the U.S. 

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Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, was indicted by the Biden Justice Department earlier this month on conspiracy and bribery charges. (Elizabeth Elkind)

The couple has denied any wrongdoing.

Cuellar has long been considered by many political pundits to be a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party due to his conservative positions on issues like abortion and immigration.

Cuellar has been labeled the last openly pro-life Democrat in Congress and has also been an outspoken critic of the crisis along the southern border. 

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Voting booth in polling place (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)

“If they’re looking at the same polls I’ve been looking at, the American public doesn’t like what’s happening,” Cuellar, who represents a district that sits along the southern border with Mexico, said of fellow Democrats on immigration earlier this year.

“I represent an area where it’s almost 80% Hispanic, a lot of Democrats,” he said. “So, yeah, the polls are showing that it’s an important issue.”

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Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, has bucked the Biden administration on key issues like immigration and abortion. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Four GOP candidates ran in the March primary but none of them hit the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff. Furman won 44.8% of the vote, Garza won 27.1% of the vote and candidates Jose Sanz and Jimmy Leon won 20.5% and 7.5%, respectively. 

Cuellar won his primary uncontested after narrowly defeating his primary challenger in 2022.

The Cook Political Report ranks the November race as “Lean Democrat.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and The Associated Press contributed to this report