El Paso Democrats maintained decades of dominance in judicial elections Tuesday, defeating Republicans in the only two contested district court races on the ballot.
Democrat Chris Anchondo defeated appointed Republican incumbent Ben Ivey in the race for 120th District Court, and Democrat Bernardo Cruz defeated Republican R. Wayne Pritchard for 168th District Court. Both Democrats had substantial leads in early voting results released at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Anchondo and Cruz both pulled more than 70% of the early vote, part of a massive Democratic wave in all partisan races in El Paso County.
El Paso County’s Nov. 3 ballot featured two contested district judge races for the first time since 2008, giving voters a rare choice between Democratic and Republican candidates for the trial court benches. Democrats ran unopposed in seven other district court races.
Republicans have historically faced long odds in El Paso judicial elections. Since 1900, only one Republican — Ward Koehler in 1982 — has been elected district judge in the county. Democrats won the five contested district judge elections held in the two decades before this year by an average of 29 percentage points.
The 120th District Court race pitted appointed Republican incumbent Ivey against Democratic criminal defense and civil attorney Anchondo. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Ivey in February 2025 to succeed Maria Salas-Mendoza, who was elected chief justice of the El Paso-based Eighth Court of Appeals in 2024. Anchondo defeated attorney Leonard “Lenny” Morales in the March Democratic primary.
Ivey began his legal career as a prosecutor in the El Paso District Attorney’s Office in 2001 and spent 20 years in private practice before his judicial appointment. His work focused on criminal cases but also included family law and personal injury cases. He campaigned on his experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney and judge, saying his approach of allowing attorneys to work through cases had helped the court clear older cases faster than new ones were filed.
Anchondo, who has been licensed in Texas since 2008, practices with his father, Daniel Anchondo, a former El Paso County attorney and county court judge. He said he had handled more than 100 jury trials as a criminal defense attorney. Anchondo emphasized judicial temperament and impartiality, and argued that he could manage the court’s docket more efficiently to reduce delays and costs.
The 168th District Court race matched Democratic Assistant County Attorney Cruz against Republican intellectual property attorney Pritchard. The seat opened after incumbent Marcos Lizarraga chose to seek a county court judgeship, losing in the March Democratic primary. Cruz defeated Enrique Holguin in the May Democratic runoff, while Pritchard was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Cruz worked on behalf of farmworkers in Washington state and for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas before joining the El Paso County Attorney’s Office in 2023. He helped lead county litigation challenging state and federal immigration and border enforcement policies. Cruz pointed to his experience analyzing complicated facts and novel legal questions as preparation for the bench.
Pritchard worked as a chemical engineer before attending law school and built a legal career specializing in intellectual property, including patents and copyrights. He also handled product liability and employment cases. He cited his 40 years of legal experience as his principal advantage and said judges should work hard and give all parties a fair opportunity to present their cases.
Neither Cruz nor Pritchard had significant criminal law experience, although criminal cases make up a large portion of the 168th District Court’s docket. Both that court and the 120th District Court hear civil and criminal cases. Texas district judges serve four-year terms, and the winners of the two contested races will each earn $193,000 annually.
All four candidates told El Paso Matters before the election that their party affiliation would not shape their decisions on the bench. They also acknowledged the electoral advantage Democrats hold in El Paso. Pritchard was only the second Republican district court candidate since 2006 to run in the county without first being appointed to the bench.
The post El Paso Democrats extend judicial dominance with Anchondo and Cruz victories appeared first on El Paso Matters.
Read: Read More