BROWNSVILLE — Cameron County residents will have to wait for the runoff election in May to learn who their next county judge will be.
The race boiled down to two candidates: Pct. 4 Commissioner Dan Sanchez and former Brownsville mayor Eddie Treviño Jr.
Unofficial numbers from all 102 precincts placed Treviño on top with 12,935 votes.
Sanchez earned 10,705 votes.
Whoever wins the runoff election will take over for only two years, since there is no Republican opponent, before needing to seek re-election.
Each candidate was in Brownsville last night waiting for the results at their respective campaign celebrations.
Sanchez said he felt great about his campaign and was blessed to receive the support he did. He expected a runoff.
“It’s kind of what I expected. With the vote split among three of us, I didn’t think anyone would have a majority. I thought we’d be a little closer, but hey, we’re in there,” Sanchez said.
Treviño said he was prompted to throw his hat into the ring after encouragement from the community. He said he was prepared for any outcome.
“We’re ready to hit the ground running tomorrow. We had a late start and didn’t have the funds to compete, but we had the energy and the drive to get to this point,” Treviño said.
Elizabeth “Liz” Garza, a political newcomer, said she ran because she felt Brownsville needed a new candidate, not someone who had served before.
Garza garnered 5,769 votes.
“The reality was that you had two candidates who either already hold office or have held it previously,” Garza said. “I believed the county was due for a change.”
Garza said she was excited to run and she learned a lot from the campaign.
Although she did not win the election now, she intends to run again when the term expires.
“Overall, I think we held our own. I wish we had more time to campaign, but being that this was our first county race, we didn’t realize how much time it takes away from work or family,” Garza said. “It was a good learning experience.”
