Meet the El Paso candidates: May 28 runoff election winners will be on November ballot

Though Super Tuesday has come and gone, there are still a handful of primary races that still need to be decided in El Paso.

Voters first went to the polls for a myriad of local, state and federal races on March 5, but a few races saw candidates unable to topple the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

On May 28, voters will make their final decisions on who will make it to the Nov. 5 General Election — Democrats will have to decide on four unsettled races in the upcoming runoff, while only one race is still up in the air on the Republican Party tickets.

Early voting for the runoff will run from Monday, May 20, through Friday, May 24.

On the Democratic side, El Pasoans will cast ballots for El Paso County district attorney, El Paso County sheriff, Texas House District 77 representative and Precinct 1 constable. Republicans, meanwhile, will make the final decision in the U.S. House District 23 contest.

But if recent trends are any indication, turnout may continue to suffer as voter fatigue continues to spread amongst the electorate. With a presidential race in the balance, as well as high-profile U.S. Senate races and other down-ballot local races, Super Tuesday should have been a big day for voters, but just under 11.5% of El Paso's 503,059 registered voters showed up to the polls.

El Paso County Elections Administrator Lisa Wise said one reason for the low turnout is the fact that the presidential primary, usually a key draw on Election Day, wasn't really a contest at all.

"We all know that the top of the ticket generally drives the turnout and have heard from some voters that they feel that the presidential race is already set," Wise wrote in an email. "El Paso County voters have other incredibly important races down the ballot and we hope to see an increase in turnout on Election Day."

Indeed, the apparent toe-to-toe presidential showdown between incumbent President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is likely to draw bigger crowds in November, but El Pasoans have one more round of voting before that final cast of characters can be decided.

James Montoya, Alma Trejo face off in district attorney runoff

A pair of closely paired candidates are set to spar in the El Paso County district attorney's race after neither could quite clear the 50% benchmark in the Democratic primary in March.

James Montoya, currently a deputy public defender for the county, ended primary night with 38% of the vote compared to Alma Trejo, a former El Paso County Criminal Court judge, who closed the night with 36% of the vote.

The two came out ahead of Assistant El Paso County Attorney Nancy Casas, who nabbed 27% of the vote. In the days after her defeat, however, Casas threw her support behind Montoya.

The winner of the runoff will face current El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks, a Republican appointed to the post by Gov. Greg Abbott, in the Nov. 5 General Election.

Oscar Ugarte, 'Bobby' Flores still standing in sheriff's race

The race for El Paso County sheriff blew open following Sheriff Richard Wiles' announcement last year that he would not be seeking reelection.

Five candidates answered the call but only two survived to make it to the runoff — Constable Oscar Ugarte will go up against retired El Paso County Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Robert "Bobby" Flores.

Ugarte shocked local politics watchers in the March primary when he garnered 43.4% of the vote, tossing aside three other candidates, including apparent favorite former El Paso County Sheriff's Office Commander Ryan Urrutia. Flores, who earned the backing of the Eastside Democrats, was Ugarte's closest competition, finishing the night with 24% of the vote.

The winner of the primary runoff will face Republican Minerva Torres Shelton, a retired special agent with the FBI, in the Nov. 5 General Election.

Norma Chavez, Vince Perez on offer in District 77 race

The race to replace state Rep. Lina Ortega in the Texas House of Representatives drew some well-known El Paso politicos, but it was ultimately former state Rep. Norma Chavez and former El Paso County Commissioner Vince Perez who survived the primary.

Though Chavez was favored in the race after gaining the support of the Eastside Democrats, it was Perez who garnered the most support on Super Tuesday — he walked away with 39% of the vote compared to 32% for Chavez.

The two bested former West-Central city Rep. Alexsandra Annello, who collected 23% of primary votes, and businessman Homer Reza, who ended the night with 6% of the vote.

With no Republican contenders in the race, the winner of the May 28 runoff will win the Texas House seat.

Frank Almada, Andrea Baca make up Precinct 1 constable slate

The last race on the Democratic ticket is the race between Frank Almada and Andrea "Andi" Baca for the Precinct 1 constable seat.

The two bested primary candidates Saul Gutierrez and Tony San Roman in the March 5 primary to advance to the May 28 runoff.

With no Republican contenders in the race, the winner of the May 28 runoff will be the next Precinct 1 constable.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales faces runoff

On the Republican side, incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales faces a runoff against primary contender Brandon Herrera for the U.S. House District 23 seat.

While Gonzales has shown a bipartisan streak during his time in Congress — he was the only Texas Republican to vote in favor of a gun safety bill passed in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde — Herrera has made a name for himself as an outspoken firearms advocate.

For El Paso voters, Gonzales' measured approach, which often puts him at odds with more extreme wings of the Republican Party, might be a good thing, it could cost him voters in more conservative areas beyond the boundaries of El Paso.

The winner of the primary runoff will face Democrat Santos Limon in November.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Meet El Paso candidates for May 28 runoff election in Texas