Former law enforcement officer Minerva Torres Shelton has secured the Republican nomination in the primary against consultant Guadalupe Giner for El Paso County judge.
Torres Shelton is headed to victory with 63% of the early vote to Giner’s 37%.
Neither could not be immediately reached for comment.
Torres Shelton will face Democrat incumbent Ricardo Samaniego in the Nov. 3 election. Samaniego, who is seeking his third term, was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Giner, 62, a community affairs consultant, ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for county judge against Samaniego in 2022.
She raised about $2,850 for her campaign as of Feb. 23, and loaned her campaign about $15,000. Ginger spent about $8,500 in the last reporting period, and about $18,300 overall this campaign.
Torres Shelton, 57, is an Army veteran, former police officer and retired FBI agent, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for El Paso County sheriff in November 2024.
Shelton raised about $8,700 as of Feb. 23 and loaned her campaign $10,000. She spent about $4,790 in the last reporting period, and about $11,400 overall this campaign.
The county judge is one of five voting members of the elected Commissioners Court, which sets the county’s annual tax rate, adopts an annual budget, makes policy decisions and hires and oversees the county administrator. The county government has about 3,100 employees and an operating budget of $653 million this fiscal year.
The court also adopts the tax rate and budget of University Medical Center of El Paso, the county’s public hospital.
The county judge can also declare local disasters and public emergencies.
The position is a four-year term and pays $152,700 a year. The next county judge will take office in January 2027.
The post Minerva Torres Shelton wins Republican nomination for county judge appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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