Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar is seeking a fifth term this November, facing Republican challenger Adam Bauman, a Navy veteran and former Border Patrol agent.
Escobar, 57, was unopposed in the March Democratic primary, while Bauman, 50, defeated former district court Judge Manuel J. Barraza in the Republican primary runoffs in May.
In his first run for public office, Bauman was among seven candidates who sought the GOP nomination for the congressional seat that represents most of El Paso County – with the exception of some portions of the Lower Valley and East Montana that fall under District 23.
A Republican has been elected only once to the congressional district – Ed Foreman in 1962.
Adam Bauman
Bauman didn’t respond to requests for an interview with El Paso Matters and did not submit a candidate questionnaire to the news organization.
On a podcast last year, he said he was born in Phoenix and came to El Paso in 2001 when he was stationed here with the Border Patrol.
In an interview with KTSM Channel 9 this week, Bauman cited lowering property taxes as one of his priorities, acknowledging that those are set by local governments and not under the purview of Congress. He said, however, that he’d ensure federal dollars allocated to local entities are “appropriated correctly.”
Bauman on his campaign website or social media pages has not offered specific plans on how we would address rising property taxes.
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On immigration, Bauman told KTSM that while there’s a need for legal immigration, the federal government’s current deportation methods are merely “enforcing the laws that are on the books.” He said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are doing “the best they can to deal with the criminal illegal aliens that are present currently” and should be commended for doing their jobs.
The federal government is facing numerous lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s immigration policies, many arguing some such as prolonged detention without a bond hearing violate the constitution.
Bauman has said he’d support three-term limits for members of Congress, who don’t currently have any term restrictions.
U.S. representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $174,000 a year.
Veronica Escobar
A former English teacher and county judge, Escobar was first elected to Congress in 2018.
She cites affordability as one of her top priorities, saying the economy is “working against too many Americans and in favor of the wealthiest individuals and corporations.”
She said the federal tax code needs to be reformed so the wealthy pay their fair share and loopholes that allow corporations, including data centers, to benefit from massive tax breaks should be closed.
The focus in Congress, she said, should be on investing in programs families depend on, including expanded healthcare access, universal prekindergarten, child care subsidies, increased Pell grants, student loan forgiveness and protections for Social Security and Medicare.
“We also need to clean up Washington and restore public trust,” she said, adding that the Trump administration’s corruption and the ethical concerns surrounding the president, his family and Cabinet officials have been deeply troubling.
Trump has retained extensive business interests while serving as president, raising questions about his family’s cryptocurrency ventures, foreign businesses and other financial dealings. Reported pledges to his proposed White House ballroom have also raised ethical concerns.
The administration has denied corruption allegations.
She said she would support Congress banning stock trading by its members — which she says she has never done.
Escobar said one of the most divisive issues around the country – and during election season – continues to be immigration.
She said that while Democrats lost ground on the issue of immigration in 2024, she believes the tide has turned against the Trump administration’s hardline policies that have targeted not only people with criminal records but also those with legal status and valid documents.
“The expansive nature of his mass deportation efforts has really shocked the conscience of most Americans,” she said.
But, she added, Democrats also need to avoid swinging too far in the other direction. The previous administration under President Joe Biden saw record numbers of border crossings that strained communities like El Paso and created difficult conditions for migrants and local residents alike, she said.
“There has to be a middle ground, and we cannot return to the policies that enraged Americans when we were seeing up to 10,000 people per day at the border,” she said. “The American people still want secure borders. They still want to make sure that immigrants with criminal histories are not given multiple chances and don’t continue to re-enter the country.”
Escobar introduced the bipartisan Dignity Act in 2023 and again in 2025 alongside Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida. The act provides pathways to legal status for many undocumented immigrants, establishes a family reunification program and enhances border security.
She said she hopes there’s still bipartisan support for the legislation after the midterms, saying more than 100 organizations have signed up to support the bill.
“Families, mixed-status families are begging for action. Industry and corporations are begging for action. Communities and churches are begging for action. The hard part is done. The bill is written,” Escobar said.
Escobar touts several accomplishments in her years in office, including the designation of Castner Range as a national monument in 2023; securing funding for the new $700 million Veterans Affairs clinic under construction in East El Paso, slated to open in late 2028; moving forward planned renovations to the Bridge of the Americas, which are now out to bid; and stopping warehouses in the city of Socorro from being converted into a mega-immigration detention center by the Department of Homeland Security.
“So, every two years, essentially, I’m reapplying for my job, and many of these projects require strong oversight, accountability and transparency,” Escobar said.
She said she’s also helped secure more than $77 million in Community Project Funding
for various El Paso projects since the federal program began in fiscal year 2022, including for senior nutrition programs, water and wastewater infrastructure, the expansion of the Ysleta Port of Entry, and a border health center.
Republican swing and campaign finance
Republicans made some inroads in El Paso County during the 2024 election as part of a national trend of Hispanic voters swinging toward the GOP. Escobar for the first time in her congressional campaigns received less than 60% of the vote that year.
But recent polling of El Paso County adults suggests those gains may have been lost in the wake of President Donald Trump’s politics, particularly when it comes to controversial immigration enforcement tactics.
ANALYSIS: Poll suggests El Paso Republicans are shedding their 2024 gains
Local GOP candidates haven’t reported much in campaign fundraising, and Bauman until this week had not filed finance reports with the Federal Election Commission as he had not met the $5,000 threshold in contributions to file.
His Oct. 15 filing shows he raised about $5,330 in contributions, including $2,700 from his own pocket – among the lowest among major party candidates across the country seeking House seats. He has $2,500 cash on hand, his report shows. However, Bauman only accounts for about $520 of the more than $2,800 he’s spent, listing banners and yard signs as his expenditures.
Escobar reported raising just over $1.02 million in this election cycle and has about $256,600 left in her campaign coffers, according to her Oct. 15 FEC filing.
Her biggest individual donations in this election cycle are from community and business leaders who frequently contribute to local candidates, including $7,000 each from Richard Aguilar, Robert Bowling IV, Miguel Fernandez, Steve Fox, Rick Francis, Lane Gaddy, Patrick Gordon and Ted Houghton, as well as from philanthropist Melinda French Gates.
Among the top political action committees that donated to Escobar are L3Harris Technologies Inc. PAC, Honeywell International PAC, Deloitte PAC, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education and Honeywell International PAC, with $10,000 in donations each. Each giving $7,500 were the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees People PAC, American Association for Justice PAC and Elect Democratic Women PAC.
The winner will be sworn into the 120th Congress in early January 2027.
Early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm begins Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Oct. 30.
The post Veronica Escobar touts record against first-time candidate Adam Bauman for Congressional District 16 seat appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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