Sunday, February 22, 2026
HALFWAY THROUGH EARLY VOTING, 14,569 VOTES HAVE BEEN CAST: 10,834 FOR DEMOCRATS, 3,735 FOR REPUBLICANS
Haven't voted early yet? Some are open Sunday. Click on link to find your nearest polling site below:
AIN'T BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, MORE LIKE PLATON AT THE 9-11
Aside from a dollar or two, they were also asked for their business cards for future events like birthdays, or other family events. The grouch next to us quipped that he's rather pay them not to play, but he pitched in a dollar bill anyway. They then made their way down the road to the next downtown restaurant.
On any given day in downtown Brownsville, these troubadours ply their songs for restaurant patrons, or like below, someone hires them to play right on the sidewalk. You can give, or just ignore them. Oh, by the way, the portions at the 9-11 were generous, the hand-made corn tortillas delicious and the salsa verde is killer.)
Saturday, February 21, 2026
2026 EARLY VOTING TURNOUT ALMOST DOUBLE THAT OF 2022
AND REPUBLICAN TURNOUT
4 DAYS EARLY VOTE 2026 PRIMARY TURNOUT COMBINED: 9,303(D)+ 3,290(R) = 12,599
4 DAYS EARLY VOTE 2022 PRIMARY TURNOUT COMBINED: 4,865(D)+1,985(R) = 6,850
A VOTE FOR "STALKING HORSE" ERIC GARZA IS A WASTED VOTE
"A stalking horse candidate is a person put forward in an election to mask the candidacy of another, test public support for a policy, or divide the opposition. Operating as a political decoy, this candidate rarely has a genuine chance of winning but serves to conceal a third party's true intentions until a safer time."
Garza, whose novice management of the sheriff's department caused the feds to pull out their prisoners from county jails, cost the county $3 million, and the prisoners didn't return until new sheriff Manuel "Manny" Treviño cleaned up the mess the former sheriff left behind.
When Garza left, he left a demoralized department, numerous lawsuits caused by his rampant mismanagement, and a trail of favoritism that divided the department's personnel. He sued the commissioners court. And veteran law enforcement officers lost all respect for the man in charge.
Garza lost to his successor Treviño – no relation to Eddie Treviño, the incumbent county judge – during the Democratic primary in 2024, and then, in the November general election, hosted Republican nominee Jimmy Manrrique at department events and endorsed him in social media despite having run for the Democratic Party nomination.
Then, all of a sudden, he reappeared this year and filed to run as the third candidate for Cameron
County judge as a Democrat after Brownsville Navigation District chair Steve Guerra announced. Reports by eyewitnesses indicate that both men were seen conversing at a local eatery prior to Garza making his announcement. Garza is a de facto stalking horse to cover for Guerra and get him into a runoff with incumbent Treviño.
Then, all of a sudden, he reappeared this year and filed to run as the third candidate for Cameron
Documentation published by the U.S. Treasury and Mexican federal investigators indicate that Guerra owned a fuel company (Warrior Fuel Traders LLC) which was doing extensive business with a Mexican fuel supplier Pyrodiesel Del Cento SA de CV, named by the Federal Criminal Intelligence Center of Mexico as a principal in the smuggling of fuel products into Mexico.
That relationship came to light only after Guerra was sued by a Navasota, Texas-based fuel supplier for more than $300,000 in unpaid fuel.
A U.S. advisory in May called huachicol schemes “the most significant non-drug illicit revenue source” for Mexico's cartels, which have become a prominent Trump administration target. But the cartels often rely on affiliated individuals and firms—including along the Texas border—to pull them off."
If by chance Garza should get the nod as the Democratic nominee for the general election, he would be in charge of determining the sheriff department's budget over sheriff Treviño, clearly an untenable situation. Ditto for getting along with the other commissioners on the court, who he sued.
"Voters should remember that Garza is a candidate running to be the Democratic Party nominee for the November general election against the Republican party candidate," said a longtime Democrat. "After he lost the primary to Treviño, he supported his Republican opponent Manrrique openly. He was a Democrat only when it suited him.
"Good Democrats should bear that in mind when they vote either in the early voting or on election day March 3. A vote for Garza means you're voting to give Guerra a chance to get into a runoff with Eddie Treviño. It's really a wasted vote."
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NOW THE TRUMP FAN CLUB?
(Edgar Lee Masters, The Spoon River Anthology)
The press of the Spoon River Clarion was wrecked,
And I was tarred and feathered,
For publishing this on the day the
Anarchists were hanged in Chicago:
"l saw a beautiful woman with bandaged eyes
Standing on the steps of a marble temple.
Great multitudes passed in front of her,
Lifting their faces to her imploringly.
In her left hand she held a sword.
She was brandishing the sword,
Sometimes striking a child, again a laborer,
Again a slinking woman, again a lunatic.
In her right hand she held a scale;
Into the scale pieces of gold were tossed
By those who dodged the strokes of the sword.
A man in a black gown read from a manuscript:
"She is no respecter of persons."
Then a youth wearing a red cap
Leaped to her side and snatched away the bandage.
And lo, the lashes had been eaten away
From the oozy eye-lids;
The eye-balls were seared with a milky mucus;
The madness of a dying soul
Was written on her face--
But the multitude saw why she wore the bandage."
Friday, February 20, 2026
WE'RE NOT KIDDING ABOUT GETTING YOU TO VOTE FOR BARBIE!
Thursday, February 19, 2026
AND THE SIGNS SAID, NO ELECTIONEERING BEYOND THIS POINT...
Good afternoon,
Please share this communication and the attached correspondence regarding political sign and electioneering compliance for the March 3 election with your candidates.
At this time, we are processing to contact the Police Department due to non-compliance with the City’s Electioneering Ordinance at the Main Library polling location.
Campaigners representing Eric Flores have refused to relocate to the designated canvassing area. Despite being provided a copy of the ordinance that outlines the designated canvassing areas, they continue to remain at the island on Central Blvd. near the City marquee sign and on the sidewalk at Veteran's Park, which are not permitted electioneering locations.
Any and all situation has been referred to the Police Department for assistance to ensure compliance with the City’s ordinance and to maintain an orderly and fair environment at the polling location.
We will continue to monitor and will provide updates as needed.
B'VILLE OBSTINATE IN GLORIFYING SLAVE CATCHERS AND SLAVERS. $1/2 MILLION TO MOVE SHACK. AND THE SLAVE QUARTERS?
By Juan Montoya
5) Consideration and ACTION to Authorize a Contract with Dodson House Moving, LLC in the amount of $404,256.59 for moving the Neale House, Contract No. 064-26-EPMO-CP, with an estimated term of six (6) to eight (8) weeks or until completion of work. (Enterprise Project Management Office)
Well, the city is up to its bad ol' habit of spending your money on dilapidated buildings again just as it did with that of the former city "founder," Charles Stillman who used legal chicanery with his lawyer friend Samuel Belden to steal the land from its original Tejano land-grant holders.
We still don't know how much in taxpayers' money it took to move and reconstruct that structure and to totally rebuild his Laureles Ranch House. 
Even though descendants of the Stillman family reportedly pitched in to pay for some of the charges, the bulk of the cost was borne by the taxpayers of the city. The result was a palatial ranch house that looks nothing like the original structure.
And Tuesday, were it not for questions about the exorbitant $404,256.59 cost by commissioner Bryan Martinez, Pedro Cardenas and Gustavo de Leon, the commission was ready to approve the contract for the removal from Texas Southmost College property to Linear Park of the William Neale carcass and make it a a neighbor to the Stillman Laureles Ranch House. That $404,256.59, by the way, equals to eight times the median income of Brownsville families, who are being asked to fund the moving of the house of a racist with whom they have no relationship.
The commissioners voted to table the item and bring it back in three weeks after getting more detailed information on the specific costs.
The moving of the Neale House to Linear Park establishes a de facto Brownsville Slavers Plantation Row and the cost cited above doesn't even include restoration and other costs.
Back in 2023, the city announced that it had set aside $190,000 to move the house and restore its foundation and roof for the dilapidated Neale House belonging to a former Brownsville mayor who was an officer in the confederacy and who supported slavery and gained a reputation for being a hunter of runaway slaves who escaped into Mexico.
It, too, is a rotting hulk of old timber that has undergone countless "renovations" as the city's Art League museum, the American Legion Hall and canteen, and now occupies a space in a dead-end street in front of a section of the border wall built by the Department of Homeland Security against the wishes of the now-defunct University of Texas-Brownsville-Texas Southmost College
The only difference between the descendants of Charles Stillman and the William Neale is that now the latter's occupy positions of power and politics which will allow the citizens again to carry the financial load of glorifying their family's "legacy."
John Cowen is now the city's mayor and the Cowens – Phil, Ralph, etc. – wear the "heritage" of their ancestors on their sleeve. During his campaign, mayor Cowen wrote that "two of my ancestors, William Neale and John S. Ford, served as Mayors of Brownsville in the mid-1800s during the early formation of our city. We are proud of their service and other members of my family that have served in various elected positions."
But idols have been found to have their feet of clay. Neale, for example, made a lucrative living chasing runaway slaves into Mexico and returning them to their owners. His dubious claim to fame is outlined in "The Twin Cities of the Border," by Lt. W. H. Charfield written in 1893.
According to Chatfield, Neale was "constantly called upon by the owners of slaves who had escaped to assist them in recovering their 'property'" – the runaway slaves – who he claimed "in most cases, however, they were glad to return, when their masters followed them to their lairs: and offered to take take them back to the "Old Cabin Home." Oh, yeah, sure.
According to a Cortina pronunciamento, the younger Neale had wantonly killed innocent Mexicans and walked around free with impunity. When Cortina's raiders found him that September 1859, he was sleeping at his father's home, who was the the city's mayor, and took a bullet through a window when he woke suddenly to the sound of gunfire and sat bolt upright in his bed. What remains of the original building is now the Neale House.
And John "Rip" Ford, who was also served as mayor, was an officer in the Confederate States of America and – as a member of the so-called Circle of the Golden Knights secessionists – attempted to establish a separate republic made up of sections of seized northern Mexican states where southern sympathizers could go and slavery would be legal. He said the new republic would then establish an extradition treaty with Texas that would allow them to return runaway slaves to their masters.
In fact, other studies have pegged the entire cost of moving and restoration of what's left of the Neale house closer to $900,000 and the city's planning department had recommended three places where it could be moved, including the space finally chosen in the Linear Park where his fellow slaver Stillman's ranch house now stands.
Neale and his family were part of the frantic congestion of civilians and fleeing Mexican soldiers trying to cross the Rio Grande after the defeat of Mexican troops at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma in 1836. In other words, he had allegiance to Mexico. (He switched allegiances as often as a working girl her skivvies.).
When the federal troops occupied Brownsville during the Civil War – Neale, a second lieutenant in the Third Texas Infantry Regiment for the Confederacy in 1863 – returned to Matamoros to live. He finally settled in Brownsville in 1865 after the Union prevailed, and took an oath to the USA after the war (another change of undies.) He served two times as mayor, from 1858–59, and then again from 1866 to 1869.
He died in Brownsville on April 6, 1896, and his home was given to the Brownsville Art League in 1950 and was moved to a location south of the United States Customs House.
The Cowens have ridden that tired historical nag into the ground and embellished the settler narrative even more. In a Brownsville Herald article some years ago, Philip Cowen, a former Brownsville Independent School District board member, also claimed to be a direct descendant to John "Rip" Ford, one of the confederacy's "heroes" and champions of slavery.
He credits his ancestor as the founder of the murderous Texas Rangers, whose indiscriminate genocide of Mexicans and Mexican-American citizens in South Texas has long been covered up in Texas history.
Cowen, however, credits his ancestor with signing a truce six months later with two union generals to "end the war."
Wasn't some guy named Ulysses S. Grant and some other guy named Robert E. Lee involved in signing some kind of document at a place called the Appomattox Court House, in Virginia that ended the Civil War?
Now, after regaining a seat on the city commission, former commissioner Nurith Galonsky – who championed the Neale House restoration – is back for more. In fact, during Tuesday's meeting, Galonsky made the motion to approve the $404,000 just to move it. Cowen, although he claims to be a direct descendant of the first Brownsville mayor, seconded the motion, however inappropriate it might have been. Wouldn't you take a free half a million to glorify your family name compliments of the taxpayers in one of the nation's poorest communities with a 30 percent poverty rate?
If the city stays true to form in its history of moving and restoration of historical buildings, the house will probably be converted to some fantasized version that is nothing like the original structure. The Neale House served as the canteen for the American Legion where vets told lies and drank the night away.
Look at how the city got the Stillman shack and – after pouring thousands into the restoration – how it looks now. The same will probably happen to the Neal structure, which is literally rotting where it stands.
We have glorified the men who stole the land from their rightful owners (Stillman and Belden) by naming one a founder and restoring his ranch whore house, the other by naming a bike and hike trail after him. This, ironically, on the very land they stole and where descendants of their dispossessed victims still live.
And now we are set to spend 404,000 just to brace it and move the house (and eventually close to $1 million to fully restore it) to praise the memory of a traitor to his country, a man who profited by denying human beings their freedom for money, and making him out to be a spiritual and historical pillar of our community.
Let the rotting structure, treason, white supremacy, slavery, and the confederacy and robber barons stay where they belong: in their pestilence and the dust bin of history.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
FIRST DAY OF 2026 EARLY VOTING MORE THAN DOUBLES OVER 2022 (3,490 vs. 1,369)
AND REPUBLICAN TURNOUT
1ST DAY 2026 PRIMARY TURNOUT COMBINED: 2,590 + 900 = 3,490
1ST DAY 2022 PRIMARY TURNOUT COMBINED: 1,369
TREVINO SHOWS UP ALONE AT REALTORS' BOARD: GUERRA, GARZA NO-SHOWS
Treviño addresses board of Realtors next to the two empty seats of Steve Guerra and Eric Garza, who chose not to attend.
By Eddie Treviño
I want to sincerely thank the Brownsville-South Padre Island Board of REALTORS® for hosting last night’s candidate forum and for your continued commitment to keeping our community informed and engaged. Our local REALTORS® play a vital role in the growth of Brownsville, from housing and property investment to economic development and neighborhood stability. Your work helps shape the future of our city.
As a candidate, I believe it is my responsibility to show up, listen, and answer questions directly. That is why I was proud to attend and share my vision with you face-to-face.
Unfortunately, my opponents (Steve Guerra and Eric Garza) chose not to attend.
When community leaders take the time to organize a forum, the least a candidate can do is be present. Conversations with constituents are not optional; they are part of the duty that comes with asking for your trust and your vote.
Leadership means being present.
Leadership means listening.
Leadership means respect.
As your elected repreentative, I will always show up.
AT THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE, DID CHAIRMAN GUERRA AND DIETRICH USE POSITIONS TO PUNISH POLITICAL FOES?
Special to El RrunRrun
After 23 years of leasing and operating warehouses at the Port of Brownsville, Beto Torres's nightmare began when he ran for a seat on the board of the Brownsville Navigation District against the wishes of current board chairman Esteban Guerra.Guerra is currently running for Cameron County judge against incumbent Eddie Treviño and former county sheriff Eric Garza. Garza is sen as a "stalking horse" candidate thrown in the race as a way to draw votes from the incumbent and insure a runoff between Treviño and Guerra.
Torres, who had announced for Place 1 at the port in the last election, thought he had the blessing and support of Guerra until the board chairman announced his support – and campaigned for Ernesto "Ernie" Gutierrez – a partner in Brownsville Gulfside Warehouse Inc., which also leases land from the port and subleases warehouse space there.
In items that have come before the board, the commissioners have approved purpose clause amendments for them and other lessees, in contrast to denying Torres's requests to even get an item for consideration on the board's agenda. In fact, Gutierrez's Gulfside had a lease amendment agenda item also for the board's consideration which was routinely approved, while Torres' lease request was denied.
Torres's problems came even after Port Director William Dietrich assured him – before witnesses – that his B & L Freight Service LLC could rent his warehouse space to anyone he wished. After the election results came in, Dietrich, in a meeting called with port staff and Torres, denied that he had ever told Torres any such thing and stormed out of a meeting he called to iron out his stand on the requests.
"Dietrich called me after the election and told me that he wanted me to be happy," Torres recalled. "He said he wanted me to make a million dollars. He said that as long as I didn't use the word sublease, I could rent to anyone I wanted and that the port wouldn't care. Then he denied he ever told me anything. and I was told that Guerra was doing this because I needed to be punished for going against his candidate. Se tiene que castigar."
Dietrich's actions against Torres has raised eyebrows at the port given that the port director's personal
romantic relationship with one of Guerra's female relatives. Dietrich – a retired Brownsville Police Department commander – was picked by Guerra to be interim port director after Eddie Campirano retired, and after a pro-forma national search, was appointed permanent port director by the board.
Despite the fact that he came in third in the four-man race for Place 1 on the board, and behind eventual winner – and current incumbent Gutierrez who was supported by Guerra – his efforts to amend his purpose clause on his lease to allow him to sublease or rent to tenants has been removed from the port's agenda time after time since he first submitted it last February. In fact, Torres said that Gutierrez called him and offered to pay his campaign expenses if he would withdraw from the Place 1 race.
The authority to place or remove items on the BND 's board agenda is delegated to the chairman and the port director.
And even after the BND's Leasing Committee then chaired by commissioner Tito Lopez reviewed Torres' proposed lease and sublease amendments and determined that he had complied with with the BND's leasing policies, the board's counsel determined that it is up to Guerra to ultimately decide the timing and placement of items on the agenda. So far, Guerra had refused to place the item on the agenda. It was only after Torres procured legal counsel that the item was placed on the port commissioners' agenda. He said that the possibility of him filing a lawsuit over the chairman and port director's actions is still in the works today.
In frustration that the recommendations that his leasing committee made to allow the B & L Freight Service to amend his lease and sublease on his two warehouses had been ignored by the director and board chairman, Lopez resigned as its chair. Lopez's frustrations with Guerra and the port's director came to a head during a September 18th meeting, when Lopez openly questioned the motives behind the negative consideration of Torres's request
Since then, the officers of Bureau Veritas – the company who has been trying to sublease from Torres to expand its business – have had to wait for the item to be placed on the agenda and get the approval of the sublease before the commission.
The animosity by Guerra and port director Dietrich toward Torres has been increasing as time went on. One of the issues that the port has raised is the use of B&L Freight Service – a trucking company – to allow third-party parking of trucks awaiting to load their cargoes before departing to Matamoros. The port director – Dietrich – determined that allowing trucks to park in his yard constituted "unauthorized use of third-party truck parking and staging" alleging that such use posed a "grave safety and security risk."
That "risk," the port said, required he get a $3 million liability policy, which he did.
Yet, after he was prevented from using his yard to park third-party trucks, video footage taken by Torres as late as November 8 showed that the trucks were allowed to use ROBCO LLC, in which Guerra has an interest, and at commissioner Gutierrez's lease, and in the lease of former port commissioner Ralph Cowen. At first it was just third-party tanker trucks, but soon even flatbeds were prohibited in Torres's yard, but are now welcome at Guerra's and Gutierrez's companies, putting $1,000s in their pockets at $20 a day. Do they have the $3 million liability policy that was required from Torres? Somehow, he seriously doubts it.
"And supposedly they don't want any third-party parking," Torres said. "Those trucks used to be in my yard."
In fact, there were repeated letters warning Torres about using his yard or subleasing (or renting) to tenants without the board's approval, and even threatening possible termination of his leases.
The request clearly states that he will not be authorized to permit third-party trucks parking or staging or transloading and storage of hazardous materials on the premises. Given the chairman and port director's animosity toward Torres, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the item would not get their recommendation for approval. Is it pay to play, then?
It is interesting to note that the BND's Code of Ethics clearly prohibits such conduct from commissioners. It states that:
"No Commissioner shall:
1. Participate in a vote or decision on a matter involving a business, contract or real property in which the Commissioner has a substantial interest if it is reasonably foreseeable that an action on the matter would confer a special economic effect, distinguishable from its effect on the public, on the business, contract or property involved."
Is the port's code of ethics merely words on paper to be ignored by the chairman and the port director and the other commissioners to retaliate and satisfy a whim for political revenge? Is this any way to run an international industrial port?
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
NOE GARZA, THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR THE 107TH DISTRICT COURT
Dear Friends and Cameron County neighbors,
The black and white photograph below in this post shows me, Noe Domingo Garza, Jr., at five years old, standing with my two older sisters.
My father took this picture in 1967 on the shores of Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to commemorate the day our family received legal residency in the United States. We had traveled there as part of the medical inspection process required for our immigration, and my father wanted to preserve that important moment in our journey.
My name is Noe Domingo Garza, Jr. I was born on August 22, 1962, in a small ranch called El Tahuachal in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. After Hurricane Beulah destroyed our home in 1967, my family immigrated legally to the United States in search of a better future.
I began school in Brownsville at the age of five, and attended Garden Park Elementary when the classrooms were refurbished military barracks and the school still used septic tanks for sanitary services.
My parents worked humble jobs. My father was a custodian at Cummings Intermediate School, and my mother worked in the cafeteria at Hanna High School.
I began school in Brownsville at the age of five, and attended Garden Park Elementary when the classrooms were refurbished military barracks and the school still used septic tanks for sanitary services.
My parents worked humble jobs. My father was a custodian at Cummings Intermediate School, and my mother worked in the cafeteria at Hanna High School.
My father was illiterate and could not read or write, and my mother attended school only through the third grade, not by choice but because of their circumstances. Even so, they believed deeply in education and made sure their children never lacked encouragement, discipline, and hope.
I graduated from Pace High School at seventeen, earned my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Pan American University at Brownsville, and graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 1986 at the age of twenty-three.
For thirty-nine years, I have practiced law with an impeccable record with the State Bar of Texas. I am also licensed to practice in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and the Eastern District of Michigan.
Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of helping thousands of families during some of the most difficult and important moments of their lives. I have handled more than 300 jury trials and have always worked to uphold fairness, justice, and dignity in the courtroom.
In 2015, I was honored as Criminal Defense Attorney of the Year by the Cameron County Bar
Association. In 2018, I was recognized by Bishop Flores during the Red Mass for my service to the community. I have also been inducted into the BISD Hall of Fame, served as Principal for a Day, and been honored to speak at Pace High School as a keynote speaker in 2016 and 2022.
Association. In 2018, I was recognized by Bishop Flores during the Red Mass for my service to the community. I have also been inducted into the BISD Hall of Fame, served as Principal for a Day, and been honored to speak at Pace High School as a keynote speaker in 2016 and 2022.
But my greatest pride is my family. My wife, Judge Adela Kowalski Garza, and I have been married for thirty-five years, and together we raised three wonderful sons. They are my greatest blessing and my daily motivation to serve with integrity and compassion.
From humble beginnings to a lifetime of service, my journey reflects the American Dream. With faith, hard work, and determination, anything is possible. Everything I am today is because of this community, and I want to give back what I have learned and what I know.
With your help and your vote, I ask for the opportunity to continue serving Cameron County.
Early voting begins on February 17 and ends on February 27. Election Day is March 3.
Please support me so that I may continue to serve our community with experience, fairness, and respect.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.
With your help and your vote, I ask for the opportunity to continue serving Cameron County.
Early voting begins on February 17 and ends on February 27. Election Day is March 3.
Please support me so that I may continue to serve our community with experience, fairness, and respect.
Thank you, and may God bless you all.
Monday, February 16, 2026
TEXAS MEDIA ENDORSE HINOJOSA IN DEM PRIMARY
Endorsed by:
Houston Chronicle
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
Dallas Morning News
San Antonio Express News
Austin American Statesman
El Run-Rrun
Opinion Staff
We recommend state Rep. Gina Hinojosa in the Democratic Party primary for Texas governor. Among nine Democrats vying for this office, Hinojosa has emerged as the only credible candidate with a fighting chance to unseat incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott in the general election.
That’s largely because this effective member of the Texas House has a history of fighting for people and causes. That goes back to her early career in the 2000s as a civil rights and union lawyer, and her stint in the early to mid-2010s as a member of Austin Independent School District’s board when she fought to prevent school closures.
Most recently, she rightly opposed — albeit unsuccessfully — last year’s mid-decade redistricting, which was demanded by President Donald Trump and executed by a compliant Abbott and Republican-led Legislature.
The redistricting fight demonstrates that Abbott will not push back against Trump and will not stand up for Texans,” she said.
With regard to standing up for Texans against an overreaching and untrustworthy Trump administration, Hinojosa is appropriately leery and critical of Texas voluntarily sending a complete list of the state's registered voters to the U.S. Justice Department in December.
“I am less and less comfortable with the federal government having as much of our data as they have,” she said, particularly in light of the increasingly creepy coziness between Big Tech and Trump.
The list of important issues that Hinojosa is on the right side of, in opposition to Abbott, also includes school vouchers and the persistent underfunding of public education, the need to expand Medicaid in Texas, and overly aggressive, performative and sloppy immigration enforcement tactics that have disrupted communities and swept up U.S. citizens.
On this front, Hinojosa sees an opening. While the tragic events caused by federal agents in Minnesota have captured national attention and disapproval, what’s happening in Texas is quieter but also insidious and evoking anger.
“They’re so pissed off,” Hinojosa said, “because what is happening right now in the (Rio Grande) Valley is that they are sweeping job sites indiscriminately.”
That’s largely because this effective member of the Texas House has a history of fighting for people and causes. That goes back to her early career in the 2000s as a civil rights and union lawyer, and her stint in the early to mid-2010s as a member of Austin Independent School District’s board when she fought to prevent school closures.
Most recently, she rightly opposed — albeit unsuccessfully — last year’s mid-decade redistricting, which was demanded by President Donald Trump and executed by a compliant Abbott and Republican-led Legislature.
The redistricting fight demonstrates that Abbott will not push back against Trump and will not stand up for Texans,” she said.
With regard to standing up for Texans against an overreaching and untrustworthy Trump administration, Hinojosa is appropriately leery and critical of Texas voluntarily sending a complete list of the state's registered voters to the U.S. Justice Department in December.
“I am less and less comfortable with the federal government having as much of our data as they have,” she said, particularly in light of the increasingly creepy coziness between Big Tech and Trump.
The list of important issues that Hinojosa is on the right side of, in opposition to Abbott, also includes school vouchers and the persistent underfunding of public education, the need to expand Medicaid in Texas, and overly aggressive, performative and sloppy immigration enforcement tactics that have disrupted communities and swept up U.S. citizens.
On this front, Hinojosa sees an opening. While the tragic events caused by federal agents in Minnesota have captured national attention and disapproval, what’s happening in Texas is quieter but also insidious and evoking anger.
“They’re so pissed off,” Hinojosa said, “because what is happening right now in the (Rio Grande) Valley is that they are sweeping job sites indiscriminately.”
Recent polling shows Abbott's lead lead is comfortable but getting smaller, and a 14-percentage point victory by Democrat Taylor Rehmet in the Jan. 31 special election for Texas Senate District 9, which Trump carried by 17 percentage points in 2024, suggests there are no guarantees.
If any crack in Abbott’s armor opens, the Democratic Party needs its best candidate possible, and that is Hinojosa.
If any crack in Abbott’s armor opens, the Democratic Party needs its best candidate possible, and that is Hinojosa.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
COUNTY JUDGE'S RACE HEATS UP: GUERRA'S LLC INVOLVED IN HUACHICOL
U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury)
Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),
A U.S. advisory in May called huachicol schemes “the most significant non-drug illicit revenue source” for Mexico's cartels, which have become a prominent Trump administration target. But the cartels often rely on affiliated individuals and firms—including along the Texas border—to pull them off.
PUSH COMES TO SHOVE AMONG COUNTY GOP: CANDIDATE FILES CEASE AND DESIST LETTER TO CHAIR, THREE OTHERS
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
In a letter acquired by this blog, Lopez issued a formal letter warning them to cease and desist their alleged acts of defamation, abuse of Authority, coordinated election interference, and Pother "potential Violations of the Texas Election Code Targeting (her). She cites an "ongoing criminal investigation targeting her by the named individuals.
"This letter serves as a formal and final demand that each of you immediately cease and desist from publishing, circulating, forwarding, posting, or otherwise disseminating false, defamatory, malicious, or misleading statements," she wrote. "Your coordinated conduct constitutes a direct attack on her reputation, her candidacy, and the integrity of the electoral process. This behavior is unacceptable and will be addressed aggressively."
"This letter serves as a formal and final demand that each of you immediately cease and desist from publishing, circulating, forwarding, posting, or otherwise disseminating false, defamatory, malicious, or misleading statements," she wrote. "Your coordinated conduct constitutes a direct attack on her reputation, her candidacy, and the integrity of the electoral process. This behavior is unacceptable and will be addressed aggressively."
The letter goes on to cite instances where they three were reportedly heard stating that they “had dirt” on Ms. Lopez. The statement, the letter continued, "made in the context of an active political campaign and was clearly intended to intimidate, smear, and manipulate voter perception. Despite being advised to run a clean campaign, Lopez charges, Mr. Campos chose to escalate his conduct.
Lopez also said that she had received a forwarded text message from an individual referred to as R/P. "The message contained a series of defamatory, unverified, and intentionally damaging allegations regarding Ms. Lopez’s personal life and character. This same message was also sent to an elected official, hereafter referred to as G/D, who reported that the text originated from Bell and Alvarado. When confronted, the individuals involved refused to identify the source, further fueling the spread of misinformation.
She further demands that "Deborah Bell and Christian Alvarado immediately cease distributing, forwarding, or amplifying defamatory content concerning her. Ms. Bell is specifically directed to refrain from using her elected position in any manner that could be perceived as attempting to influence voters through misinformation or personal attacks.
"In light of the gravity of her involvement, Ms. Lopez demands that Ms. Bell issue a public apology and resign immediately from her position as County Chairwoman. Ms. Lopez also reserves the right to seek compensation for pain, suffering, and reputational harm resulting from Ms. Bell’s conduct."
Furthermore, "all individuals named in this letter are hereby required to provide proof of the origin of the defamatory messages, including but not limited to screenshots, message logs, forwarding history, and the identity of the original sender. Any refusal to disclose this information will be treated as an intentional effort to obstruct the truth and perpetuate the spread of defamatory content."
Furthermore, "all individuals named in this letter are hereby required to provide proof of the origin of the defamatory messages, including but not limited to screenshots, message logs, forwarding history, and the identity of the original sender. Any refusal to disclose this information will be treated as an intentional effort to obstruct the truth and perpetuate the spread of defamatory content."
Saturday, February 14, 2026
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