El Paso Republicans – who have failed to find candidates for most partisan races in recent years – will have contested primaries in March for Congress, state representative and county judge, and will have candidates in November for county commissioner and state legislative races.
Meanwhile, the region’s Democratic incumbents face lesser-known challengers in the 2026 primaries.
“We’re breathing life back into the local Republican party,” said Michael Aboud, chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party, which drew more than a dozen candidates in local races. “Republican candidates on the ballot make Republican voters find out who they are and increase their chances of coming out to vote.”
The candidate filing deadline for the March 3 primary was Monday. In all, more than 30 candidates filed for 12 key local, state and federal elected positions in El Paso, along with a slew of candidates who filed for judgeships and justice of the peace seats.
“We’re going to get behind all our nominees and make sure we bring out the votes because it’s so critical this year in 2026,” said Michael Apodaca, chair of the El Paso County Democratic Party, who is unopposed in seeking his second term in the position.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar will face a graduate physics student in the Democratic primary for District 16. Six Republicans will face off for the party’s nomination to attempt to unseat the four-term incumbent in the November midterm. No Republican has represented El Paso’s main congressional district since 1964.
District 23 Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales will face three opponents in the primary, while four candidates will compete for the Democratic nomination for the seat.
Three of the five incumbent state representatives from El Paso – all Democrats – didn’t draw any opponents in either party and will be effectively reelected. State Reps. Mary Gonzalez of District 75 and Claudia Ordaz of District 79 will face Republican opponents in November. Two Republicans filed for the District 75 primary.
Two Republican candidates will compete for their party’s nomination to face El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego in November. Samaniego, a Democrat, doesn’t face any opponents in the March primary as he seeks his third term in office.
The two incumbent Democratic county commissioners – David Stout and Sergio Coronado – each face one opponent in the primary. The Republican primary drew one candidate for each of those seats.
The El Paso county and district clerks – Democrats who’ve served 15 and 20 years in office, respectively – don’t face any opponents in either party and will be effectively reelected.
Candidates for justice of the peace seats and judgeships – including for district courts, county courts at law, county criminal courts and county probate courts – are overwhelmingly Democrats, including many unopposed incumbents.
Aboud said some GOP candidates decided to run for office after Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah university in September.
“They said that was the last straw,” said Aboud, who is seeking reelection for a second term in the position and is facing two opponents in the primary.
Citing projects such as the controversial $207 million deck park planned for Downtown, Aboud said Republican candidates are looking to hold the line on taxes and focusing on more basic needs such as fixing and connecting roads.
“They’re sick and tired of taxes and the local government not representing local people at all,” Aboud said. The deck park, for example, candidates expressed they don’t want to do that, they don’t want the expense.”
ANALYSIS: Why El Paso’s city government spends far less on services than other big Texas cities
Aboud points to the economy and immigration as the two key issues drawing Republicans not just to the polls but to the candidate pool, saying many back the policies of President Donald Trump.
Trump made deep inroads in El Paso County in the 2024 presidential election, with his strongest performance in rural and suburban parts of the county outside the city limits. In 2024, Trump took nearly 42% of the votes in the county against Kamala Harris – an uptick from about 32% against Joe Biden in 2020 and nearly 26% against Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Trump’s job approval rating among Latinos is decreasing: A Pew Research Center study published in November shows 70% of Latinos disapprove of the job he’s doing as president, with his overall approval rating at 27% among the same demographic. That’s down from a 42% approval rating in February, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit think-tank.
Apodaca said Trump “and his values do not represent El Paso,” citing dangerous rhetoric and mass deportation efforts by the administration that goes against the largely immigrant and Hispanic community of the region.
“Our thing is that we need to remind El Pasoans what Democrats have done for this community – and that’s our challenge and something we’ll have to do this cycle and every cycle moving forward,” Apodaca said.
In the March primaries, Democratic and Republican candidates vie for their chance to face off against the opposing party’s winning candidates in November. The Libertarian and Green parties in Texas determine their nominees at conventions, and not primary elections.
The voter registration deadline for the primaries is Feb. 2, with early voting scheduled Feb. 17-27. A runoff, if needed, would be May 26. The winners of each race in their respective party move on to the Nov. 3 election.
Here is who filed for office in the El Paso primary elections:
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
District 16
Democrat
- Veronica Escobar (incumbent, third term), served on House Judiciary, Armed Services and Ethics and Appropriations committees; former county judge and county commissioner
- Arturo Andujo, graduate physics student
Republican
- Derelis Montanez Berrios, retired Border Patrol agent, retired U.S. Army Reserves officer, ran unsuccessfully for congress as an independent in 2024 and 2022
- Adam Bauman, U.S. Navy veteran, retired Border Patrol agent and business owner
- Raul “Bullet” Castañeda, U.S. Navy veteran, teacher
- Hector Cabildo, unknown
- Marisela Chavez, unknown
- Ruben Rios, unknown
District 23
Democrat
- Gretel Marysdatter Enck, former administrator at Fort Davis National Historic Site
- Santos Limon, civil engineer, unsuccessfully sought seat in 2024
- Katy Padilla Stout, attorney, former public school teacher
Republican
- Tony Gonzales (incumbent, third term), U.S. Navy veteran, served on House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees
- George Keith Barton, Marine Corps veteran, construction equipment manager
- Susan Storey Rubio, rancher, conservationalist
- Brandon Herrera, entrepreneur, social media personality/YouTube influencer
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
District 74
Democrat
- Eddie Morales (incumbent, third term), attorney, businessman, investor, previously served in Elections, Energy Resources, Defense and Veterans Affairs committees
Republican
- Robert Garza, attorney, former mayor of Del Rio, ran unsuccessfully against Morales in 2024
District 75
Democrat
- Mary González (incumbent, seventh term), vice chair House Appropriations Committee, member, House Natural Resources Committee, consultant, adjunct professor
Republican
- Humberto Perez, U.S. Army veteran; plumber
- David Flores, firefighter
District 77
Democrat
- Vincent Perez (incumbent, first term), Committee on Ways and Means, Committee on Higher Education; political consultant, former county commissioner
District 78
Democrat
- Joe Moody (incumbent, eighth term), speaker pro tempore of the House; House Administration, General Investigating, Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence, and Criminal Jurisprudence committees; attorney
District 79
Democrat
- Claudia Ordaz (incumbent, second term), vice chair of House Committee for International Relations and Economic Development, member, Transportation committee; former city representative
Republican
- Jesus Romero, security officer
EL PASO COUNTY JUDGE
Democrat
- Ricardo Samaniego (incumbent, second term)
Republican
- Guadalupe Giner, purchasing agent, ran unsuccessfully against Samaniego as an independent in 2022
- Minerva Torres Shelton, a retired FBI agent and police officer, ran unsuccessfully for county sheriff in 2024
EL PASO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Precinct 2
Democrat
- David Stout (incumbent, third term), former reporter/producer, previously worked with former Sen. José Rodríguez
Republican
- Thomas M. Matt Sistrunk, a political newcomer and financial consultant
Precinct 4
Democrat
- Sergio Coronado (incumbent, first term), attorney, former Canutillo ISD board member
- Annette Griego, unknown
Republican
- Leonard Arcos, military veteran
EL PASO COUNTY CLERK
Democrat
- Delia Briones (incumbent), first elected in 2006
EL PASO DISTRICT CLERK
Democrat
- Norma Favela Barceleau (incumbent), first elected in 2011
RELATED: Here are the ‘I Voted’ stickers El Pasoans will get at the polls in 2026 election
DISTRICT COURT JUDGES
327th District Court
Democrat
- Monique Velarde Reyes (incumbent)
243rd District Court
Democrat
- Selena Solis (incumbent)
210th District Court
Democrat
- Alyssa G. Perez (incumbent)
205th District Court
Democrat
- Francisco X. Dominguez (incumbent)
171st District Court
Democrat
- Alex Cuellar
- Amanda Enriquez
168th District Court
Democrat
- Bernardo Cruz
- Enrique A. Holguin
- Robert J. Perez
Republican
- Robert Pritchard
120th District Court
Democrat
- Chris Anchondo
- Leonard “Lenny” Morales
Republican
- Ben L. Ivey (incumbent)
COUNTY COURT AT LAW JUDGES
County Court at Law 1
Democrat
- Linda Perez
- Ruth Reyes (incumbent)
County Court at Law 2
Democrat
- Christina Montes
- Frances M. Maldonado
- Sergio Saldivar
County Court at Law 3
Democrat
- Melissa A. Baeza (incumbent)
County Court at Law 4
Democrat
- Eunice Reyes
- Jeff Rago
- Marcos Lizarraga
County Court at Law 5
Democrat
- Jesus Rodriguez (incumbent)
County Court at Law 6
Democrat
- Sue Kurita (incumbent)
County Court at Law 7
Democrat
- Ruben Morales (incumbent)
COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT JUDGES
County Criminal Court 1
Democrat
- Linda S. Perez
County Criminal Court 2
Democrat
- Robert Anchondo
COUNTY PROBATE COURT JUDGES
County Probate Court No. 1
Democrat
- Patricia Chew
County Probate Court No. 2
Democrat
- Eduardo Aristeo Gamboa
- Gabriella M. Reed
- Sergio Enriquez
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
Precinct 1
Democrat
- Denise Butterworth
- Diego Vasquez
- Jesus L. Salgado Ramos
- Octavio Dominguez
- Richard Velez
- Shane Edmonson
Precinct 2
Democrat
- Ana Hey
- Brian J. Haggerty (incumbent)
- Christie Saiz
- Julio Cesar Martin del Campo
Precinct 3
Democrat
- Josh Herrera (incumbent)
Precinct 4
Democrat
- Rebeca Bustamante (incumbent)
Precinct 5
Democrat
- Dora Oaxaca
- Eileen Marlin Castro
- Jesus Olivas
- Lucilla “Lucy” Najera (incumbent)
- Monica Teran
Precinct 6, Place 1
Democrat
- Dora H. Aguirre
- Ruben Lujan (incumbent)
- Yoli Rodela
Precinct 6, Place 2
Democrat
- Enedina “Nina” Serna (incumbent)
- Nicolas “Nico” Dominguez
- Ricardo “Rick” Jordan
- Rosalie Dominguez
Precinct 7
Democrat
- Humberto “Beto” Enriquez (incumbent)
- Stephanie Frietze
PARTY CHAIRS
Democratic Party
- Michael Apodaca (incumbent)
Republican Party
- Michael Aboud (incumbent)
- Omar Galache
- Alfredo Lujan
At the national level, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for vote in the 2026 midterms. Texas has one of the Senate seats being decided in 2026.
The winning candidates would take office in January 2027.
Races for the city of El Paso – mayor, city representatives and municipal judges – are nonpartisan and therefore will not be on the primary ballot. The next city election will be Nov. 3. City representative seats in Districts 1, 5, 6 and 8 will be up for vote; while the mayor’s seat will be on the 2028 ballot.
To see if you’re a registered voter, obtain a sample ballot and learn more about the elections, visit the El Paso County Elections Department’s My Voter Dashboard and follow El Paso Matters for an upcoming Voter Guide and race coverage.
The post Who’s running? Republicans look to challenge El Paso Democratic stronghold in 2026 elections appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More