March 9, 2018 • Local News
El Paso Times: Veronica Escobar takes Democratic nomination for Congress, easily defeats Dori Fenenbock
Former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar easily won the Democratic nomination in the race for the 16th Congressional District seat Tuesday, avoiding a primary runoff on her way to becoming Texas' first Latina in Congress.
Even before all the election day ballots were counted, Escobar had received more than 60 percent of the votes in the congressional race — far above the majority needed to win.
Dori Fenenbock, a former board president of the El Paso Independent School District, was considered the other front-runner in the race but didn't muster enough votes to force a runoff.
“I want to thank El Paso for this incredible opportunity and for the beautiful support that they’ve given me,” Escobar said from her election night party Tuesday. “I want El Pasoans, voters and our supporters to be proud of the campaign that we ran.”
“I wanted people to feel like they are a part of something positive and wonderful and I hope they did. Tonight’s results have filled me with humility and gratitude,” she said.
Other candidates in the Democratic race for Congress included former state Rep. Norma Chávez, immigration attorney Enrique Garcia, KTEP public radio executive John Rene Carrillo, and retired Army Maj. Jerome Tilghman.
Escboar will now face Republican businessman Rick Seeberger in the Nov. 6 general election. Seeberger won the Republican nomination Tuesday over his opponent, Alia Garcia-Ureste.
The winner will replace Beto O’Rourke, who Tuesday night was leading the race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Escobar, 48, said she still has a November election on which to focus. However, she plans to spend a lot of her time helping O’Rourke in his effort to unseat Cruz.
Escobar announced her candidacy in August, when she resigned her position as county judge. She was elected county commissioner in 2006 and county judge in 2010.
Escobar has said if elected, her priorities would include addressing issues related to border communities, such as immigration, education and health care.
One of her first projects would be to create an office of border economic and public policy, so that business owners and policymakers can lead the way in proposing legislation that benefits the U.S-Mexico border, she has said.
She also said she would continue O'Rourke's work on issues dealing with veterans and deficiencies within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Escobar said she believes the negative attacks by Fenenbock and the Keep El Paso Honest PAC helped her win Tuesday's race.
“I can’t tell you how many people at the doorstep told me that they were disgusted by their tactics,” she said.
Escobar said many people thanked her for running a clean and positive campaign.
The Keep El Paso Honest PAC was formed late last year with a simple platform: To keep Escobar from winning the election.
Fenenbock, who resigned as president of the EPISD board of trustees in August to run for the Congressional seat, on Tuesday also thanked her supporters for their courage to stand with the "underdog" and for believing that anything is possible.
"The good news of today is that we saw a record number of voters. A record number of people came out and got involved in the political process," she said.
Fenenbock said after the election that she plans to spend more time with her husband and her family.
Share this Article
