By Isabel K. Latz
While the predominant issues for this midterm election have rightfully centered on addressing costs of living, increasing gas prices, and lack of access to health care, we should vote with another urgent problem in mind that is increasingly affecting every aspect of our lives.
As a public health professor, I see extreme heat emerging as one of the most significant threats facing communities across the Southwest, and few places illustrate that challenge more clearly than El Paso.
El Paso has set records this year with the greatest number of consecutive days (108 days) of high temperatures at or above 90 degrees and its ranking among the top five U.S. cities with the largest increases in summer temperatures between 1970 and 2025.
While summer heat isn’t new to El Pasoans, what is new is the extent to which it now shapes our daily lives. From outdoor workers and children in warming classrooms to families struggling with higher utility bills, this issue affects everyone in some way.
In fact, extreme heat is now the leading weather-related cause of mortality in the U.S., responsible for more deaths than those caused by hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
Public health experts are warning that without reductions in emissions, “the Southwest would experience the highest increase in annual premature deaths due to extreme heat in the country.”
Heat-related emergency room visits are rising across Texas, and research suggests that heat contributes to far more deaths in Texas than official records indicate.
And while extreme heat affects everyone, some groups face greater risks, including children, older adults, pregnant women, athletes practicing in hot temperatures, and people with chronic or mental health conditions. In the absence of federal protections and with Texas limiting local water-break requirements, outdoor workers remain especially vulnerable to heat-related illness and injury.
Extreme heat can also make it harder for children to learn and concerns about aging cooling systems in El Paso have prompted calls for upgrades as classrooms become increasingly difficult to keep cool during prolonged periods of heat.
However, making those investments can be challenging as Texas school districts face ongoing budget constraints.
The financial impacts on families are becoming equally difficult to ignore. El Pasoans now need to cool their homes for more days each year while also coping with a 13% rate increase from El Paso Electric in May.
Addressing extreme heat comes with costs, but so does inaction. Heat-related illness, lost productivity, and rising energy and health care expenses already carry a growing price tag. The real question is whether we invest now or pay more later.
Given the combined effects of increasing heat on our health, safety, and household budgets, voters deserve to know where politicians stand on this issue. In considering the candidates for U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm election, the contrast between their positions on this topic could not be more stark.
The Democratic candidate for Senate, James Talarico, has made climate preparedness, environmental protection, and community resilience part of his public platform. His proposals include helping families manage rising energy costs, investing in lower-emission energy technologies, strengthening disaster preparedness, and improving support for communities affected by extreme weather.
Furthermore, his reported track record in the Texas Legislature demonstrates a commitment to addressing environmental challenges affecting communities across the state. He supported funding for disaster preparedness, removal of lead from school water fountains, improved school air-quality standards, and investments in water infrastructure projects throughout Texas.
The Republican candidate for Senate, Ken Paxton, on the other hand, does not mention the words “climate” or “environment” anywhere in the overview of his legislative priorities on his campaign website. Instead, the only reference to environmental policy is his pledge to dismantle “harmful regulations designed to hurt our energy companies.”
Extreme heat is not a partisan issue. It affects Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. We need legislators who provide evidence-based support to help El Paso address the impacts of extreme heat on our health, schools, infrastructure, workplaces, and utility bills.
If you are concerned about the ways extreme heat is affecting your kids, your family, and our community, take a moment to become an informed voter. Check your voter registration and make a plan to vote for leaders who will bring better protections and resources to El Paso and the state of Texas.
We may not be able to lower the temperature overnight, but we can elect leaders who take the heat seriously.
Isabel K. Latz lives with her family in El Paso. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of her employer or any affiliated institution.
The post In this midterm election, El Pasoans can’t afford leaders who ignore extreme heat appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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