Three Candidates Thinking About Challenging Incumbents

So over the last two days I have heard that three different people might be considering a bid to take on three incumbents in the court house.

All three of the potential candidates are women.

Well one candidate probably drawing an opponent is in a court house, just not the main county courthouse. Rebecca Bustamante has been talked about as a probable opponent for Jesus Urenda, the JP out on the eastside. Bustamante is an actual attorney, which is rare in JP races. John John Chatman in JP 5 already has an opponent, also a Latina. Male JPs are going to be particularly vulnerable in the primary because a lot of women are going to be voting - primarily because of the congressional race which will mean that El Paso is going to have its first female member of congress.

Bustamante has been involved in the Party and in politics for many years and if she decided to run, you'd have to see her as a pretty strong favorite to unseat Urenda, who has been primarily worried about a challenge from Mayela Mejia, who recently confirmed she wouldn't be running against him.

I was annoyed that Judge Maria Salas-Mendoza was having a fundraiser when she didn't have an opponent because I have always looked at candidates that do that as selfish because there is only so much money on the table in El Paso elections. I didn't honestly think anyone was dumb enough to take her on because she's a young judge, smart, well-liked and her court is pretty drama free. Kind of the polar opposite of Judge Gonzalo Garcia who I'll be writing an interesting post about soon.

Anywho, word around the courthouse is that there is one candidate who is thinking of taking on Salas-Mendoza but that appears to be more of a personal beef. I think discretion is the better part of valor and after Salas-Mendoza's fundraiser last night, which was by far the biggest turnout I've seen in a while, the rumored opponent might want to sit the bench for this one.

Finally, Norma Favela is rumored to have an opponent as well. There have been morale issues in that office for years - they hate the over the top Halloween stuff they have to do every year and they hate that they get pressured to show up to vote for Favela in the favorite elected official category of Whats Up Magazine, which she proudly displays on the window to the entrance of the District Clerk's office. Come on, you didn't think people actually voted for a District Clerk to be their favorite did you? Of course she had people go and vote for her, most of you reading this don't even know what her office does and you're political!

Her opponent is still mulling things over but there's a budget waiting for the rumored opponent from what I'm told.

I'll drop more names as I'm able to confirm them.