Pena, Hernandez to battle in commission runoff
The race for the Cameron County Precinct 2 commissioner seat continues as none of the six candidates in Tuesday’s Democratic Party primary received more than 50 percent of the vote to prevent a runoff.
Unofficial votes showed candidates Ernie L. Hernandez and Ruben R. Peña as the two top vote getters in the race. Hernandez received 1,206 votes to Peña’s 1,121 votes.
The runoff for all races not decided outright on Tuesday will be held April. 13.
Other candidate tallies were Gerry Linan, 607 votes; Victor Alvarez, 793 votes; Enrique Escobedo Jr., 844 votes; and Ernesto L. De Leon, 904 votes.
Peña, a newcomer to Brownsville, said it was nice to see that Precinct 2 residents recognized his candidacy and his message.
"We worked real hard getting our message out and I am hopeful the voters in Precinct 2 are responsive to it," Peña said, as he watched results filter in at the Cameron County Courthouse. "My wife and I are incredibly pleased with the response from voters in Precinct 2. We are very happy right now."
A half-dozen candidates filed for the position, all seeking to fill the seat that will vacated by Commissioner John Wood, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for Cameron County judge. His term ends at the end of the year.
Hernandez, who was at a party at Chef Ricardo’s restaurant with his family, said, "They are all good candidates and we knew it was going to be a tough race."
"I feel cautiously optimistic," Hernandez said early in the night. "The real battle is going to be six weeks from now," he said referring to next month’s runoff election.
While many of the candidates hold or have held elected positions in the past, others were entering the political arena for the first time.
Escobedo was also at the courthouse watching the returns. Early on Escobedo said he was a little nervous about the race since this was his first time to run for a county office.
"I am anxious for the numbers and hopefully they will be favorable," Escobedo said before the early votes were released.
Earlier in the day, De Leon, a former Brownsville city commissioner, was seen campaigning near Villarreal Elementary in Olmito.
Othere candidates and their supporters were out and about in other parts of Cameron County.
