House Democrats have vowed to do whatever it takes to protect abortion rights. But there’s one step many don’t want to consider.

Only a handful of them have endorsed the primary challenger running against Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar — their only colleague who opposes codifying Roe v. Wade into law — in a Tuesday runoff in Texas. And as dozens of House Democrats gathered on the Capitol steps earlier this month to rally support for abortion rights, they really didn’t want to talk about why.

“I don’t have anything to say about that,” said Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.).

“We’ll let the voters decide. I don’t have a comment,” added Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.).

“Henry’s a valued member and people vote their conscience,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.).

Democrats have called the Supreme Court’s preparations to strike down Roe an existential threat to the future of abortion access in the U.S., but there’s been little shift in the party’s stance toward Cuellar. Just five House Democrats out of 221 have publicly endorsed challenger Jessica Cisneros, who is within striking distance of the 17-year incumbent. Cisneros finished second by about 1,000 votes in the March primary, and she fell narrowly short of beating Cuellar in 2020, too.