(CNN) \u2014 House Democratic leaders condemned efforts Tuesday by a newly registered political action committee to boost a Democratic congressional candidate who made antisemitic comments ahead of a runoff election next week.<\/p>\n
Leaders in both parties have denounced recent remarks by Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist who won first place in March\u2019s Democratic primary for Texas\u2019s 35th Congressional District. In a post on her campaign Instagram last week, Galindo said that if elected, she would \u201cturn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also been accused of repeating tropes about her rival being controlled by money from Zionists and, according to the San Antonio Current<\/a>, suggested that he and anyone else \u201csupported by Israel\u201d should be tried for treason.<\/p>\n State Rep. James Talarico, the party\u2019s nominee for US Senate, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency<\/a> that he wouldn\u2019t campaign with Galindo.<\/p>\n \u201cThis antisemitic rhetoric has no place in our politics,\u201d Talarico told JTA. \u201cWe need leadership in both parties willing to stand up and call out hate wherever it rears its ugly head.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she\u2019s been rejected by national Democrats, Galindo has benefitted from spending by Lead Left, a PAC that registered with the Federal Election Commission on May 6. FEC records show Lead Left has spent $428,000 in the 35th District, mostly on printing and postage.<\/p>\n CNN has reached out to Galindo and Lead Left for comment.<\/p>\n The group has also spent money to boost other Democrats viewed by the national Democratic Party as weaker general election candidates.<\/p>\n Punchbowl News previously reported that Lead Left PAC had links to WinRed, the primary fundraising platform used by Republican campaigns, in its website metadata.<\/p>\n