Convicted former Judge Manuel J. Barraza is counting on name recognition and his legal background to propel him to the November general election as the Republican nominee for Texas’ 16th Congressional District.
His opponent in the GOP runoff, retired Border Patrol agent Adam Bauman, has declined repeated interview requests from El Paso Matters. He has relied heavily on stylized social media videos that offer little detail about his policy positions in his campaign.
Barraza, 70, and Bauman, 49, were the top two vote-getters in the seven-candidate March primary, taking 18% and 24% of the votes, respectively, and will now face off in the May 26 runoff. The winner will advance to face incumbent U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar on Nov. 3. Escobar, who is seeking her fifth term, was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Early voting for the runoff election begins Monday, May 18, and ends Friday, May 22.
“I believe I’m a more appealing candidate, because people in both parties know who I am, besides all the headlines and all the scandal and all that I’ve dealt with,” Barraza said in a recent phone interview with El Paso Matters.
Barraza in 2010 was sentenced to five years in federal prison after being convicted of wire fraud and deprivation of honest services for accepting cash and sexual favors in exchange for his judicial influence. Barraza maintains that he never accepted any kind of bribes and said that he believes El Paso voters will give him a “second chance.”
Barraza was a Democrat when he was elected as judge of El Paso’s Criminal District Court No. 1 in November 2008. He took office in January 2009 and was arrested in April of that same year.
When asked about his current political values, Barraza said he considers himself “more towards the middle, but I do appreciate the positions about a secure border, not mutilating children and about not having men competing against women and women’s sports.” He referred to gender affirming medical care, which in Texas is not allowed for children younger than 18, and to transgender women participating in sports designed for female athletes.
ELECTION 2026 VOTER GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the May 26 primary runoffs in El Paso
He said he doesn’t consider himself a MAGA Republican, referring to the Make America Great Again political slogan, and said if he wins the runoff, he’s counting on moderate and centrist Republicans and even Democrats to oust Escobar.
“People want change,” he said, citing increased Republican turnout in El Paso County in the 2024 presidential elections and in the March primaries.
Change is also a key phrase in Bauman’s campaign. He calls himself “your conservative candidate.” Bauman’s social media campaign often features him at local gyms with fitness enthusiasts and supporters, patriotic imagery and dramatic music alongside flyers stating he supports veterans, economic opportunities and quality healthcare. He doesn’t provide details on his specific stances or policy ideas on how he’d accomplish those goals.
His campaign website also states he’d work to make “property taxes more affordable,” although Congress isn’t involved in setting local property taxes. The website says he supports “women only sports” and “women only restrooms,” as well as reducing insurance premiums “without the federal government subsidizing these costs.”
Bauman hasn’t returned numerous texts, calls and emails since announcing his candidacy last year. He briefly answered a call recently to say he couldn’t talk because he was busy, out of town and would agree to talk only if the reporting was fair. He didn’t respond to follow-up calls and texts.
A Navy veteran, Bauman has operated Bauman Tactical Canine since 2020, according to county records. He also previously registered with the county a business called Fun For All.
Bauman hasn’t submitted any campaign finance reports since filing for candidacy, while Barraza reported raising $3,000, according to the Federal Election Commission. Federal election law requires reports after candidates raise or spend $5,000.
Escobar reported raising more than $730,000 through March, with more than $288,000 in her campaign coffers, her April 15 filing shows.
The next reports are due Monday – eight days before Election Day.
No Republican has won the 16th Congressional District race since Ed Foreman in 1962.
Before March, neither GOP candidate had voted in a Republican primary in El Paso the past 20 years, according to voting databases maintained by El Paso Matters.
Bauman registered to vote in 2002 and cast ballots in general elections over the years. But until his name was on the ballot in March, he hadn’t voted in a Republican primary while registered to vote in El Paso. .
Barraza re-registered to vote in El Paso County in 2020, after he completed his sentence for his federal felony convictions, and has voted in every general election since, county election records show. He voted in the Democratic primary and runoff in 2024.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $174,000 a year.
District 16 covers most of El Paso with the exception of the eastern portion of the Lower Valley, parts of East Montana and Horizon City.
That area is represented by District 23, a seat previously held by Republican Tony Gonzales, who in April dropped out of the runoff and then retired from Congress after admitting to an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. District 23 stretches from El Paso’s Lower Valley across rural West Texas to San Antonio. GOP candidate Brandon Herrera will now face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in November for that seat.
The post El Paso GOP voters face choice between convicted former judge and little-known ex-Border Patrol agent in District 16 congressional runoff appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More