Henry Cuellar on Henry Bonilla, his new political alliances,
and why bi-partisanship works for him

By María Eugenia Guerra

I caught up with former Secretary of State Henry Cuellar at his Washington Street offices one recent Wednesday morning. We talked about his November 2002 run against incumbent Congressman Henry Bonilla. While he was candid about most of my queries, he clearly wished not to discuss the fissure that reportedly developed last year in his longstanding and very productive legislative relationship with Senator Judith Zaffirini.
Buoyed by the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and many of his hometown supporters, Cuellar appeared comfortable in the upcoming face-off with Republican Bonilla.
A 14-year veteran of service in the Texas House of Representatives, Cuellar kept a positive note to all we discussed. One of the most interesting parts of the interview was to hear Cuellar, the oldest of eight children, share some of the values he said he learned from his parents, Odilia Perez Cuellar and Martin Cuellar, who have family ties to Guerrero Viejo. Foremost among those values was the importance of education. Cuellar, the father of two daughters, said he is himself proof of how an education can change a life.
I've had numerous occasions to speak to Henry Cuellar. I count this one as among the most pleasant.. Cuellar seemed focused, nearly serene, and quite reflective about his 15-year foray in politics and the race that lies ahead.

In some respects, the campaign you have launched to win the 23rd Congressional seat is on uncharted terrain. You have a formidable opponent at the national level, and the political base you had for so many years locally and statewide is now different. You don't have the same friends you had a year ago. Talk about this.
It's going to be an exciting endeavor. My role as a legislator will be to provide a voice for all the working families in the 23rd District. I believe that Henry Bonilla is a good man, and I respect him as an individual, but I believe we need a different type of voice. I bring a couple of strengths to this new district. My approach has always been bipartisan in the sense that if you want results, you work with all parties. You put people first. I've always done that, and I've been criticized for it. If you want results, that's what you have to do. As I start traveling across the 23rd, I think I will find out that here are a lot of common interests in all these counties -- hardworking families that want to provide a better education and a better life for their children and want to improve their community. Whether I am from Laredo or some other part of the district, I will find common ground with those hardworking individuals. I see Laredo as a strong and important part of the race. I won't take anything for granted in Laredo. I feel that I still have many of the friends who have supported me over the 14 years I have served. The general election brings a lot of diverse people together. You will see unity. This will be the first time that Laredo will have a Congressman in this area; the last time was when Abraham Kazen represented us, a very honorable man.
The 23rd Congressional District is a poor district with some affluent pockets. I am pro-business and pro-growth, but I know that you have to tend to the educational needs of the region because that is what will foment the greatest positive changes in people's lives. You have to remember the working class, children, and education. I want to bring to Washington some of the ideas I brought up in Austin, ideas that changed education -- things like the Texas Grant, accountability in higher education, setting up higher education partnerships, providing more funding for colleges and universities. I want to bring some fresh, new ideas that will serve all areas of the district and the country. I certainly know the border and the importance of commerce, the importance of security. We can't stifle commerce, because it is the lifeblood of the border and South and Central Texas. I've worked on colonia issues for so many years. The federal government will do more to help. I want to bring my ideas in this area, as I want to bring my ideas on health issues -- a patient's bill of rights at the federal level that puts the patient first before any special interest. The CHIP program, which I started in Laredo, has brought affordable insurance to 500,000 Texas students, but it is running out of money. The federal government needs to help.
It was unfortunate that my acceptance and service as Secretary of State was seen as anything other than the positive time that it was. Being bipartisan in my opinion has always been a strength and not a weakness. My service as Secretary of State provided access to state government to some who did not have it. It was an opportunity for the community to have someone from the border to represent border issues, someone who could work with Mexico. Some of our successes included the re-definition of the office of the Secretary of State office to make it more proactive. The border affairs office was expanded, which opened up doors for border folks to have a hand in what affected the border.
Politically speaking and perhaps in other ways, the decision to serve as Secretary of State in a Republican administration cost you something as a Democrat. How do you assess those costs?
There were some Democrats who showed concern over why I would accept a job with Gov. Perry, but again, I think people now realize I remained a Democrat. Even when I supported Bush, I did so as a Democrat. I thought it was best to have a president from Texas. We were friends and when he was Governor he asked me to carry appropriations and educational matters for him. The "No Child Left Behind Act" that was just signed into law by President Bush reflects the Texas Public School Accountability System. The reading and math testing components, the requirement to raise reading and math proficiency, tutoring, ensuring that teachers are qualified to teach in their subject, aid to charter schools, periodic report cards for schools, initiatives to improve reading and math, the money to establish partnerships with colleges and universities to improve science and math instruction -- you can see the influences of the work we did as legislators in Texas.
There arose at the time that you became Secretary of State a discernible rift between you and the coalition of State Senator Zaffirini, Rep. Richard Raymond, and the corps of local Democrats with whom you once walked in step. You once enjoyed the support especially of the Senator. How does this affect a bid for the race for the national house seat?
I consider Senator Zaffirini a friend and Richard Raymond also. Senator Zaffirini and myself go a long way back. We were classmates of 1986, elected at the same time. In our individual capacities, we were some of the most powerful partners in the state -- she on the Senate Finance Committee, a Senator with seniority, and I on the House Appropriations Committee with seniority in my own house. Senator Zaffirini is one of the hardest working senators in the state. When Richard Raymond was a representative from Duval County, he did a good job. Once I become a Congressman, I look forward to working with both of them. We need to unite. We already know the fruits and benefits of working together. My intent is to work together and to do the best we can do for everyone in this region.
You enjoyed a long and positive relationship with the people of Laredo as their representative in Austin, and as an individual who often in tandem with Senator Zaffirini brought immense educational infrastructure to this region. Is the core of that relationship with the people of your district still in place?
Very much so. I've always said, as I did when I first ran in 1986, that a community is like a house. You live there -- that's where you spend your time. When the fence needs repair or the house needs paint, you take care of it. You work on it. I see Laredo the same way. This is my home -- where my family lives -- and I want to do everything to improve and make this community stronger. The spirit we have in Laredo is tremendous. The changes we are undergoing are immense. There is growth in our economic base thanks to international trade and continued retail and wholesale sales. We have diversified to a more service oriented economy, which makes education all the more valuable because you need a trained workforce. That's why the Senator and I worked so hard to improve the educational infrastructure here. As long as we keep working together and have representation in Washington and Austin, we can keep doing this. The possibilities are tremendous for us getting our fair share of federal and state dollars.
What kind of support have you received and from where to pursue this race?
I've received a great deal of support here in Laredo. My number one source of support is my family -- my wife, my parents, my siblings. That is extremely important to me. I've received the support of the legislators of the surrounding areas, all of whom have told me they will help me raise money and get to know the voters of their districts.
It will be a competitive race in a largely Democratic district. The last non-presidential election year, you had some Democrats running in statewide races who won their races in the 23rd district. A Democrat who will put people first before the political party can win. My intent is to provide a positive campaign that addresses real issues.
What kind of support will come your way from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee?
They have said that this is the first time they target the race, that I'm a viable candidate.
What are your personal strengths? What will carry you through an election on this scale?
I think I am a good listener. I certainly listened to my district when I served in the House. I felt I went out of my way to get input from people. My understanding of what is important to the family is important to all the families of the district. We are hardworking individuals who want a better life for our families. We want the best educational opportunities for our children and the best health care possible.
There are two things I learned from my Mom and my Dad that will carry me through this. My father was a laborer who went to school only to the sixth grade. He taught me that in life you have to work hard and develop a work ethic to get the job done. From my mother, I learned the love of education, the value of it. My mother only completed the second grade. My parents were taken from school to work in the fields. Education was a priority in my own life, and it is my priority in my campaign. The faith that I have in church, in the community, in the family, in what's important to us as individuals, these are the strengths that I learned from my parents. I was the oldest of eight children. My parents recognize me as a part of this family unit, and they are very proud of what I have done.
Contrast your abilities and your public service with that of Mr. Bonilla.
He puts the Republican leadership first before he puts what's best for the district. I will be willing to work with Republicans and Democrats alike to find solutions. I will be emphasizing the issues that are most important to quality of life -- education and health care.
What are your long-term goals, not just as an elected official, but as a resident of this region, as a native Laredoan, and as a father?
Whether it's as a public servant or as an individual, I want to do my part in making this a better place for our children. As parents, we want to leave this life peacefully with the understanding that our children are educated and healthy, and that they have the ability to survive in this ever-changing world. If we can build the physical and social infrastructure of a community so that parents can raise their children with opportunities so that children can succeed, then I can feel that I have done my part as a resident of this community and as a father of children. My vision is very simple: provide an opportunity for a child to succeed in whatever field. Education is the largest part of that.
The federal government needs to address the dropout problem we have here. Of the students who enter the 9th grade and don't leave the 12th, 27% are Anglo, 34% are African American, and 49% are Hispanic. Once high school seniors graduate, 51% of them go into the workforce or the military. The rest go to college, but you have problems there, too. The average graduation rate is about 34% for a six-year education. The federal government has to be a partner in higher education. If we are going to attract more jobs, we need a well-educated workforce. The higher education institutions we have here are transforming the region, but if you ask them if they need more money for scholarships or for research, the answer is yes. We need to help.
What should the voters of this region remember about Henry Cuellar and his 14-year tenure as a state legislator as they make their decision to vote?
They should remember that education has been, is, and will continue to be my number one priority. Education is the greatest equalizer in society. I learned this from my parents and from my own personal experience. John F. Kennedy said, "The progress of a nation can be no swifter than the progress of its educational system." I believe those words.