Chairwoman Holguin Calls out Dori's Republican PAC

In a statement released late last evening, El Paso County Democratic Party Chairwoman Iliana Holguin called out Carlos Sierra's GOP PAC that is supporting Dori Fenenbock and called on Republican Chairman Adolfo Telles to do the same.

The statement comes on the heels of a mailer sent to Republicans urging them to cross-over and vote for a Democrat.

This further complicates things for Dori Fenenbock who has had difficulty shaking the label of closet Republican since she first started campaigning for the position early last year.

As expected, Fenenbock has not disavowed the mailer or the undermining of the Democratic process.

Back in February during the Tejano Democrats endorsement process, the PAC also sent out emails to the Tejano Democrats in a thinly veiled racial undertone of pitting prominent African-American Democrat Don Williams against Latino members of the organization during the endorsement forum. Leadership was attempting to ascertain what member of the organization leaked out members' email addresses to the Republican operative.

It'll be interesting to see where the alleged hard-core Democrats now sit knowing that the Pro-Fenenbock PAC is openly courting votes from Fenenbock's fellow Republicans.

Interestingly enough, there was some brief discussion during the last Tejano meeting about possibly rescinding the endorsement but the conversation didn't go very far. It will be interesting to see if that movement gains any momentum if there is a run-off.

Here is Chairwoman Holguin's statement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDATE: MARCH 2, 2018CONTACT: ILIANA HOLGUIN, EL PASO COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRWOMAN, 915-588-6244

EL PASO COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR CONDEMNS TACTICS OF LOCAL SUPER PAC

Today, thousands of Republican voters received a political mailer encouraging them not to vote in their own Party’s primary election, but rather to vote in the Democratic Party’s primary election with the specific intention of voting against a particular Democratic candidate in order to try to ensure a run-off primary election in the race for Congressional District 16. Primary elections are an integral part of our country’s democratic election system and are the mechanism by which voters from a particular political party select their party’s nominee to be their candidate during a general election. Primaries are specifically meant to give the power of candidate nomination to the people.
The political mailer paid for and distributed by Keep El Paso Honest, a Super PAC, seeks to undermine the primary election process on which our democratic system of government depends. By encouraging Republican voters to vote in the Democratic Party’s primary, the PAC is effectively attempting to have members of the Republican Party choose the Democratic Party’s nominee for this particular race and trying to take that power away from El Paso’s Democratic voters.

“The tactics employed by the Super PAC Keep El Paso Honest are reprehensible and are contrary to the notion of fair and just elections. The El Paso County Democratic Party has always maintained a positive and amicable working relationship with the El Paso County Republican Party, and I hope that Republican Chair Adolfo Telles promptly disavows and condemns the tactics of this Super PAC. The two parties should not seek to meddle in each other’s elections, but rather should allow their own voters to choose their own candidates,” stated El Paso County Chairwoman Iliana Holguin.

During every primary election, the Democratic Party supports all of its Democratic candidates equally and does not favor one candidate over another. However, when a Super PAC seeks to unduly influence the Democratic Party’s primary, the Party will defend the integrity of the primary election process. It should be noted that Keep El Paso Honest has repeatedly failed to file required federal financial reports,
most recently the report due on February 22. As a result, voters do not know who is funding their political activities. It is precisely because of this type of activity that the Democratic Party supports comprehensive campaign finance reform. “Big money is drowning out the voices of everyday Americans, and we must have the necessary tools to fight back and safeguard our elections and political integrity. We need to end secret, unaccountable money in politics and require disclosure and transparency at all levels of government,” stated Iliana Holguin.