Primary runoff election held

By RAY QUIROGA
publisher@sbewspaper.com

Voters returned to the polls on Tuesday, May 26, to decide the winners of joint primary runoff elections based on the results of the March Primaries.

Early voting for the runoffs opened on Monday, May 18, and closed on Friday, March 22.

According to Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza, about 50% of the voters who cast early ballots in the March Primaries also voted early in the runoffs.

Unofficial results show that the Democrats attracted 12,014 early voters in Cameron County, while the Republicans tallied 4,025 early voters.

Of the 102 polling locales county-wide and 238,989 registered voters in the county, 6,907 voted Republican, 312 of those voted by mail, 4,025 voted early, and 2,570 voted on Election Day.

Continuing with the Republicans, the county vote mirrored the state’s, with Ken Paxton overwhelmingly defeating incumbent John Cornyn, 4,346 (63.26%) to Cornyn’s 2,524 (36.74%) unofficial votes for US Senator.

After the contentious election, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for statewide party unity ahead of the November General Election.

“Tonight, Texans chose strong, conservative leaders who will fight to keep Texas safe, prosperous, and free,” stated Abbott.

“A united Republican Party will drive victory, and with the primaries complete, we are laser-focused on delivering a decisive victory in November,” he added.

For Texas Attorney General, county Republicans favored Mayes Middleton over Chip Roy, who received 2,860 unofficial votes (42.17%) to Middleton’s 3,922 (57.83%). Statewide, Middleton defeated Roy and moves on to the November General Election.

By contrast, 18,480 votes were cast for the Democrats, including 899 by mail, 12,016 as early votes, and 5,565 on Election Day.

Oziel ‘Ozzie’ Ochoa, Jr., moves on to the General Election as a Democrat vying for State Representative, District 37, against Republican incumbent Janie Lopez of San Benito, who won the right to fight to retain the seat in March.

Ochoa defeated Democratic underdog Esmeralda “Esmi” Cantu-Castle, 3,725 to 2,436 unofficial votes (60.46% to 39.54%), earning the opportunity to face Lopez in November.

San Benito’s own Jesus T. “Chuy” Garcia, Jr., lost his bid for District Judge of the 107th Judicial District to Brownsville’s Noe Garza, 10,475 to 7,446 unofficial votes (58.45% to 41.550%).

After the March Primaries, Garcia told the NEWS that candidates from outside Brownsville and Harlingen have historically struggled to win judicial seats because of the smaller voter base in the county’s smaller cities.

In another high-profile race in the county, incumbent Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., lost to dark-horse challenger Esteban “Steve” Guerra, who received 10,010 unofficial votes to the incumbent’s 8,128, or 55.19% to 44.81%.