Maureen Galindo, a Democrat running for a newly drawn congressional seat in Texas, is confronting a growing political problem: her past as the operator of an astrology-themed sex therapy venture called Cosmic Kinks Tarot, combined with a cascade of antisemitic remarks that have drawn condemnation from the Israeli consulate.
Galindo, a 38-year-old single mother and licensed marriage and family therapist, is campaigning for Texas' 35th Congressional District, a seat created after Texas Republicans passed a new congressional map in August 2025. The district, anchored in Bexar County, is shaping up as one of the most competitive races in the state, with as many as five Democratic seats potentially flipping in the midterm elections.
But the candidate's professional background and recent public statements are raising questions about whether she can survive a general election, or even a contested primary against Johnny Garcia, the candidate described by the New York Post as the reigning Democrats' preferred choice for the seat.
In 2022, Galindo operated Cosmic Kinks Tarot out of Bexar County, Texas. The business offered what it called "kinky birthchart readings" and "live tarot therapy," with a stated mission to "empower individuals through the exploration of their sexuality, spirituality, and the stars."
Galindo also works as a licensed marriage and family therapist with Exulted Sex Therapy, whose website states she addresses issues ranging from "pleasure and orgasm disorders" to celibate life. She has said her work "supported people in developing healthy and safe sexuality."
The Daily Mail reported details about Cosmic Kinks Tarot and reviewed records concerning Galindo's professional licenses. Texas has three licenses that permit the practice of psychology. Galindo has claimed she holds "a Masters in Community Psychology" from Concordia University, a program that shut down in 2020, according to reporting on the matter.
Whether Galindo's credentials fully authorize the scope of services she advertised remains an open question. The specific records reviewed by the Daily Mail have not been described in detail publicly, and it is unclear whether any licensing body has raised concerns.
The therapy business might have remained a curiosity had Galindo not compounded the scrutiny with a series of incendiary public statements. On Wednesday, she accused her primary rival Johnny Garcia of seeking to influence Bexar County's human trafficking networks, a serious allegation she tied to what she called "billionaire Zionists" who she claimed control those networks.
In remarks to The Current, a San Antonio outlet, Galindo went further. She said Israeli "billionaire Zionists" are "infiltrating our local governments," adding that she believed "it's important to expose that and call it out." She also claimed that "billionaire Zionists and their puppets" had pushed the New York Times to publish dual "hit pieces" targeting her campaign.
The accusations are not minor rhetorical overreach. They echo longstanding antisemitic conspiracy tropes about Jewish financial control and media manipulation, language that has historically been used to justify discrimination and worse.
By Thursday, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest had weighed in, condemning what it called "hateful rhetoric" from "individuals seeking public office." The consulate did not name Galindo directly, but the timing left little doubt about the target. Congressional Democrats have already faced a difficult season of ethics and conduct controversies, and Galindo's remarks add another entry to the ledger.
Texas' 35th Congressional District was drawn by Republican mapmakers in August 2025. Two Republicans are already facing off in their own primary in late May, a sign of how seriously the GOP views the seat's competitiveness.
For Democrats, the district was supposed to represent an opportunity, not a liability. Garcia, the party establishment's favored candidate, appeared positioned to carry the banner without major drama. Galindo's entry, and now her public implosion, threatens to turn the primary into a sideshow that hands Republicans easy ammunition for the general election.
The pattern is not unique to Texas. An Oklahoma Democrat recently ended his re-election bid after a sexualized scandal involving AI-generated images, illustrating how quickly personal conduct controversies can sink a campaign. And across the country, Democratic candidates and officeholders have struggled to contain fallout from behavior that voters in competitive districts find disqualifying.
Galindo's campaign has shown no sign of backing down. She has framed the coverage of her background as politically motivated, attributing it to Zionist influence rather than legitimate press inquiry. That posture may play to a narrow slice of the progressive base, but it is difficult to see how it survives contact with a general electorate in a swing district in Texas.
The question of Galindo's academic credentials adds another layer. Concordia University's Master of Arts in Community Psychology program closed in 2020, before Galindo launched Cosmic Kinks Tarot. Whether she completed the degree before the program shuttered, and whether that degree supports the professional claims on her therapy websites, has not been publicly clarified.
Texas licensing standards for therapists are specific. The state issues three distinct licenses authorizing the practice of psychology, each with its own educational and supervisory requirements. Galindo's claim to be a "licensed marriage and family therapist" is a verifiable credential, but the intersection of that license with astrology-themed sex therapy services is, at minimum, unusual.
None of this is to say that sex therapy is inherently disqualifying for public office. Voters can decide what professional background they find acceptable in a representative. But combining tarot-card sexuality readings with conspiracy theories about Zionist puppet masters and trafficking networks creates a profile that most swing-district voters would find difficult to take seriously. Republicans have already shown they intend to make Democratic conduct and credibility central campaign issues heading into the midterms.
Galindo's primary against Garcia has not yet been decided. The Democratic establishment in Bexar County clearly prefers Garcia, and Galindo's recent behavior may accelerate efforts to consolidate support behind him.
But the damage may already extend beyond the primary. In competitive districts, opposition researchers archive everything. Galindo's Cosmic Kinks Tarot business, her antisemitic remarks, and her conspiracy-laden accusations against a fellow Democrat are now part of the public record, material that any Republican nominee will use to define the Democratic brand in the 35th District.
Internal Democratic Party conflicts over candidate selection have become a recurring feature of the current cycle, and Galindo's race is a case study in what happens when the party's vetting process fails to catch a problem before it becomes a headline.
The Consulate General of Israel's condemnation, while carefully worded, signals that the controversy has reached beyond local politics. Diplomatic bodies do not typically comment on congressional primary candidates. That one felt compelled to do so here says something about the severity of the rhetoric.
Several open questions remain. What exactly did the Daily Mail's review of Galindo's licensing records reveal? Has any Texas regulatory body examined the scope of services offered through Cosmic Kinks Tarot or Exulted Sex Therapy? And will Democratic leadership in Texas take any formal steps to distance the party from Galindo's candidacy? Political scandals involving personal conduct have a way of lingering long past the initial news cycle, and this one has multiple threads still unresolved.
Voters in Texas' 35th District deserve a serious contest over serious issues, border security, the economy, public safety. What they're getting instead is a candidate who reads tarot cards for sexual empowerment and blames Zionist conspiracies when the press asks about it. That tells you everything about the state of the Democratic bench.