Three El Paso City Council races appear headed to a runoff, early voting results show, while Ivan Niño in District 5 is poised to win his race outright in Tuesday’s election.
Incumbents Alejandra Chávez, Art Fierro and Chris Canales have not received more than half of early votes, as of 7 p.m.
A candidate must receive more than 50% of votes to win outright. If not, the top two finishers meet in a December runoff.
The City Council comprises eight representatives who make policies, adopt the annual budget and set the tax rate. City representatives are nonpartisan positions and are paid $72,800 a year.
On the campaign trail, candidates challenged incumbents on rising property taxes and the controversial Meta data center under construction in Northeast El Paso. Housing affordability was a broad concern, while the Downtown deck plaza – a park that would cap Interstate 10 – was also a hot-button issue for some candidates.
District 1
District 1 covers the Westside and Upper Valley.
Chávez, 48, received 48% of early votes. Former nuclear scientist Sam Armijo, 87, and criminal defense attorney Matthew James Kozik, 45, are vying for the second runoff spot with 20% and 19% of early votes, respectively.
Chávez seeks her first full term after voters elected her in a 2024 special election to fill the seat vacated by former city Rep. Brian Kennedy, who resigned to pursue a failed mayoral bid.
The other candidate in the race, Daniela Garcia received 13% of the early votes.
READ MORE: District 1 candidates challenge Chávez on council voting record
The latest campaign finance reports, due the eighth day before election, show Chávez amassed the most robust war chest. She spent more than $63,000 in the last reporting period and headed into the final week before election with more than $62,000 left in her contribution balance. Her biggest donations came from businessmen and developers who frequently contribute to local candidates, including
Kozik spent more than $6,500 in the last reporting period and had no campaign funds available,. None of his reported donations exceeded $200 this year.
Armijo spent more than $35,500 in the last reporting period, leaving him with more than $7,000 left in contributions. He also had $42,000 in loan balance. None of his donations this year exceeded $250.
District 5
In the Far Eastside district, incumbent Niño, 35, took a large lead in the early voting results, receiving 69% of votes. His opponent Richard Genera, a Democrat political organizer, received 31% of the early vote totals.
Campaign finance reports show Niño vastly outraised and outspent Genera in the District 5 race. Niño raised $43,450 between July 1 and Oct. 24, compared to Genera’s $2,113.
Niño reported 30 contributions from 29 donors, most giving at least $1,000. His donors include prominent local business owners, including El Paso businessman Woody Hunt, who contributed a total of $4,000. Niño also received $5,000 from the Texas Realtors PAC, $2,500 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, $2,000 from the El Paso Municipal Police Officers, $1,500 from the El Paso Electric Employee PAC and $1,000 from the El Paso Association of Contractors.
Genera reported 60 contributions from 59 individual donors, but received much smaller donations, generally ranging from $5 to $100, including from supporters outside El Paso.
READ MORE: District 5 candidates differ on taxes, data center, city spending
District 6
A clear winner didn’t emerge from the early vote results in District 6, which encompasses much of the 79936 ZIP code, including neighborhoods around Marty Robbins Park.
Incumbent Fierro, 64, received 36% of the vote, while challengers Jesse Moreno, a former City Council staffer, received 27% and animal welfare advocate Claudia Contreras Siller received 22%.
Candidate Pedro Fernandez Jr. garnered 8% of the early votes, and Hector Alba received 7%.
Fierro has held a large fundraising advantage. His campaign reported $13,750 in contributions from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, bringing his total contributions in 2026 to about $77,342.
Moreno reported raising $1,175 during the latest reporting period, compared with $2,600 in expenditures.. Fernandez reported receiving $2,300 in additional contributions during the latest reporting period.
Alba previously reported that he neither raised campaign funds nor spent any money on his campaign. Contreras Siller did not file a campaign finance report.
READ MORE: District 6 candidates differ from Fierro on economic development beyond Meta
District 8
District 8 covers South-Central El Paso, Downtown and part of the Westside.
Canales, 34, who seeks a second term, led with 35% of early votes. Guzman, 41, a nonprofit executive followed with 25% while retiree Laura Ochoa-Todd, 70, trails behind with 21% in contention for the second runoff spot.
The other candidates in the race, Arturo Alluin and Johnny J. Gonzalez, received 12% and 8% of early votes, respectively.
READ MORE: District 8 candidates address business tax breaks, disagree on deck plaza
Campaign finance reports show Guzman spent more than $23,000 in the last reporting period and headed into the final week before election with $45,130 left in contributions.
Canales spent more than $18,500 in the last reporting period and went into the final week before election with more than $4,500 left in his contribution balance.
Alluin spent more than $11,500 in the last reporting period and had more than $2,500 left in campaign funds afterward.
What’s next?
Runoff elections are scheduled for Dec. 14.
The elected city representatives will take office in January and serve a four-year term. The mayor’s seat and the seats for Districts 2, 3, 4 and 7 will be up for election in November 2028.
The City Council can hire and fire the city manager, city attorney and chief internal auditor. In the current fiscal year, the city has a nearly $657 million general fund budget and 6,500 employees.
In the coming year, the city government will be responsible for overseeing the progress of the Sunset Amphitheater in Northeast El Paso, now delayed to 2028 for opening. In 2024 the City Council narrowly approved a deal with Colorado-based developer Venu that includes $31 million in business incentives, the transfer of city land for the amphitheater and a non-compete clause. The developer has since used the El Paso property to secure a loan on another incomplete amphitheater project in Texas.
The city government will also be responsible for administering a stalled $40 million federal grant to expand the region’s aerospace manufacturing sector. The City Council voted unanimously last year to co-lead the project with the University of Texas at El Paso after the university lost a $160 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
Last week the City Council voted unanimously to direct city leaders to work with the Texas Department of Transportation to evaluate safety measures and potential restrictions on heavy commercial truck traffic on Transmountain/Loop 375 and North Desert Boulevard. The decision came after recent and deadly, multi-vehicle crashes. City representatives will review and decide on any presented recommendations.
The post Three City Council races primed for potential runoffs after early voting numbers drop appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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