PUSH COMES TO SHOVE AMONG COUNTY GOP: CANDIDATE FILES CEASE AND DESIST LETTER TO CHAIR, THREE OTHERS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

In a stunning development in Cameron County politics, Barbara "Barbie" Ann Lopez, a Republican candidate to the precinct 2 commissioner's position has filed a criminal complaint with the sheriff's department against her opponent Jonathan R. Campos, the county chair Deborah Bell, and fellow GOP county members Patsy Lopez and Christian Alvarado of violating the Texas Election Code.

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."

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.

In addition, her letter informs the individuals that a criminal report has been filed with the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office regarding the defamatory communications and the coordinated attempts to interfere with her campaign. The report is filed under Case No. 2026-30077 with the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office, 7300 Old Alice Road, Olmito, Texas 78575. This matter is now part of an active investigation, she wrote, and all individuals named in this letter are expected to cooperate fully.

Lopez demands "that Jonathan R. Campos immediately cease making or repeating statements suggesting possession of 'dirt' or other defamatory information about her. Given the severity of his conduct, Ms. Lopez demands that Mr. Campos issue a public apology and withdraw from his candidacy.

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."