Socorro Independent School District Superintendent James Vasquez was incorrectly included on a list Tuesday of “more than 100 elected officials from every region of Texas” endorsing James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, campaign officials said.
Minutes after El Paso Matters questioned the inclusion of the Socorro ISD superintendent – who was appointed to the job this year by the SISD school board and not elected – Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis said including Vasquez in the news release was a mistake.
“The moment this came to our attention, the name was removed from the list of more than 100 endorsers throughout the state of Texas. We’re thankful for the superintendent’s service to the community,” Ennis said.
Socorro ISD spokesperson Daniel Escobar said Vasquez didn’t endorse Talarico.
“It has come to our attention that James Vasquez was listed as endorsing a political candidate. This is incorrect — James Vasquez has not endorsed any candidate. We are working to correct this misinformation,” Escobar said in a statement.
Texas school superintendents rarely engage in partisan elections. And Socorro ISD is in the midst of an election asking voters – Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated – to approve a property tax proposal that could result in millions of extra dollars for the district.
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, is seeking the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican John Cornyn in next year’s midterm elections. Talarico is making a campaign stop in El Paso at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fire Fighters Hall, 3112 Forney Lane.
El Paso elected officials included on his list of endorsements Tuesday include state Reps. Vince Perez and Claudia Ordaz; County Commissioners Jackie Butler, Sergio Coronado and David Stout; and El Paso city Rep. Art Fierro.
Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred also is seeking the Democratic nomination in the Senate race. On the Republican side, Cornyn is being challenged by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.
The midterm primary is March 3, with the midterm general election on Nov. 3, 2026.
The post James Talarico Senate campaign says it mistakenly listed endorsement from Socorro ISD Superintendent James Vasquez appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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