EL PASO, Tx., March 3, 2026: Today is the start of the mid-term elections with the primaries underway in Texas. The winners of their respective primaries either go on to win the seat because they have no opponents in the other primary or face off against the winner of the other primary. In El Paso, the Democrats have an edge in the November ballots giving the winners in the Democratic Party the probability of taking the seat. Nonetheless, a Republican surge was noted in 2024, providing a more competitive landscape for the November 3rd midterms.
Both Democratic and Republican voters turned up in higher numbers at the polls during early voting. More Democrats have turned up to cast a ballot than they did during the 2022 and 2024 primaries. There are almost 3,000 more Democratic primary voters this year than there were in 2024. This year’s turn out is also higher among the Democrats than in 2022 with around 1,670 more voters.
Nonetheless, El Paso Democrats are showing up less at the ballots than their counterparts across Texas where more Democrats are casting ballots. Only Democratic voters in Beaumont and Laredo are surging less than in El Paso.
Republicans tend to vote on Election Day making any analysis of early voting turnout among the Republicans largely inconsequential. Nonetheless, around 1.5 million Texan Democrats have cast ballots so far with another 1.3 million Texan Republicans.
There are several candidates on the ballot today. Some will win tonight, others will face a runoff election, and some will have to face an opponent on November 3rd. Here are a few races to keep an eye on.
U.S. Representative 23
El Paso’s second congressperson, Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23), is facing a tough election today after allegations of an affair that led to a former staffers suicide made headlines. Gonzales’ opponent, Brandon Herrera, is polling ahead of Gonzales going into today’s election.
Today’s winner. Assuming there is no runoff election, will face the winner of the Democratic primary for this seat in November.
Republican County Judge Primary
Incumbent Ricardo Samaniego is safe for now because he does not have an opponent in the Democratic primary. However, in the Republican primary, there are Guadalupe “Lupe” Giner and Minerva Torres Shelton facing off to run against Samaniego in the November 3rd midterms.
County Commissioner 2
The incumbent David Stout is fending off a challenge from Miguel “Mike” Teran. On the Republican ticket, Matt Sistrunk will face the winner between Stout and Teran.
County Commissioner 4
Like Stout, the incumbent for the precinct 4 county commissioner seat, Sergio Coronado, is facing off against challenger Annette Griego.
Leo Arcos is awaiting the outcome between them for the November 3rd ballot.
Justice of the Peace 5
There are several interesting races to watch in the Justice of the Peace races where lawyers fight for the judicial seats that non-lawyers can hold. The most contentious race is the precinct 5 Justice of the Peace race. There are five candidates running which ensures a runoff election will be needed.
The incumbent, Lucille “Lucy” Najera is fending off challengers Eileen Marlin Castro, Jesus Olivas, Dora Oaxaca Rivera and Monica Teran. By the time the ballots are counted, it is likely that Najera will face Oaxaca Rivera in a runoff with Olivas possibly spoiling the chances of one of the top two contenders.
The top contenders have controversial records that may influence the voters. Najera was accused last month of fabricating an endorsement from the Paso del Norte Tejano Democrats. The Tejanos endorsed Olivas.
Olivas failed to file his 30-day campaign finance report on time, while Oaxaca Rivera was named in a city council censure against her husband that accused him of allowing her to supervise a non-city employee and giving her access to confidential city records.
There are no Republicans running for this seat, ensuring that the winner will take the seat after the primary voting period is over.
Election Day is today. The polls open at 7:00am and close at 7:00pm. Voters can cast ballots in any voting location across town. The early results will be released at 7:00pm. Historically in El Paso elections, the person who leads during the early voting period generally wins that race when the last ballot is counted.
Stay with El Paso Herald Post for the latest election news.
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