Eddie Lucio III to Face Erin Gamez in Dem Primary; Castro to Run As?
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
The filing deadline for a place on the upcoming primary ballot has come and gone. It appears as if long time incumbent, Representative Eddie Lucio III, son of State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., will be facing a primary challenge from Brownsville attorney Erin Gamez, daughter of the prominent Brownsville attorney, Ernesto Gamez.
Lucio III has represented District 38 for nearly a decade and a half. His father, Senator Lucio, has held his District 27 seat for nearly three decades. The elder Lucio will also be facing a primary challenge from Sara Stapleton-Barrera and Ruben Cortez, a former BISD board member and current member of the State Board of Education.
Earlier in the year, many pundits believed Senator Lucio would not seek reelection and instead step aside so his son could take the senate seat. Those grumblings were obviously rumors. It appears the Lucio's Two are going to be gearing up for a tough election cycle.
Brownsville politics never cease to disappoint. In another twist, blogger Juan Montoya reported a rumor that Erasmo Castro might be gearing up for a run at the District 38 Representative's seat. The rumor was confirmed when Castro put out a press release saying he will, indeed, be seeking election to the seat. Using his favorite buzzword, transparency, he touts his landslide election to the school board and how South Texas is known for its voter apathy. He promises an end to the corrupt political machine should he be elected to office.
There are a few things missing in his press release. The most obvious omission is whether or not he plans to run as a Democrat or as a Republican. If he runs as a Democrat, he faces the well-funded dynamo that is Eddie Lucio III. His campaign war-chest is a formidable nut to crack. Erin Gamez must also have a sizable fund raising mechanism. If Castro runs as a Democrat, his race may be over before it begins. His other option is to run as a Republican. In District 38, the race is usually decided by the winner of the Democratic primary. If he were to run as a Republican, he is pretty much guaranteed a place on the ballot come November. All that said, seeking statewide office is not like running for school board. It's awfully hard to run a statewide campaign with all the pieces in place, let alone running a grassroots campaign thrown together at the last minute.
Another glaring omission in the statement is the lack of a platform. He throws out terms like economic development and campaign finance reform, and he mentions he wants to bring about change, but he really doesn't identify what he would like to change. He also mentions he wants to demand better from all local elected officials. I don't really know what that means, but a state representative does not have any control over what a local elected official does, or does not do. I understand this is simply a campaign announcement, but knowing what direction the campaign wants to go in would be beneficial. Buzzwords are nice, and they do well in riling-up the crowd, but at the end of the day, there is a difference between flash and substance.
I don't know if this is going to end up being a comedy or a tragedy, but in any event, it is going to be an interesting election season.
Buckle up, Brownsville. It's about to get bumpy.
The filing deadline for a place on the upcoming primary ballot has come and gone. It appears as if long time incumbent, Representative Eddie Lucio III, son of State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., will be facing a primary challenge from Brownsville attorney Erin Gamez, daughter of the prominent Brownsville attorney, Ernesto Gamez.
Lucio III has represented District 38 for nearly a decade and a half. His father, Senator Lucio, has held his District 27 seat for nearly three decades. The elder Lucio will also be facing a primary challenge from Sara Stapleton-Barrera and Ruben Cortez, a former BISD board member and current member of the State Board of Education.
Earlier in the year, many pundits believed Senator Lucio would not seek reelection and instead step aside so his son could take the senate seat. Those grumblings were obviously rumors. It appears the Lucio's Two are going to be gearing up for a tough election cycle.
Brownsville politics never cease to disappoint. In another twist, blogger Juan Montoya reported a rumor that Erasmo Castro might be gearing up for a run at the District 38 Representative's seat. The rumor was confirmed when Castro put out a press release saying he will, indeed, be seeking election to the seat. Using his favorite buzzword, transparency, he touts his landslide election to the school board and how South Texas is known for its voter apathy. He promises an end to the corrupt political machine should he be elected to office.
There are a few things missing in his press release. The most obvious omission is whether or not he plans to run as a Democrat or as a Republican. If he runs as a Democrat, he faces the well-funded dynamo that is Eddie Lucio III. His campaign war-chest is a formidable nut to crack. Erin Gamez must also have a sizable fund raising mechanism. If Castro runs as a Democrat, his race may be over before it begins. His other option is to run as a Republican. In District 38, the race is usually decided by the winner of the Democratic primary. If he were to run as a Republican, he is pretty much guaranteed a place on the ballot come November. All that said, seeking statewide office is not like running for school board. It's awfully hard to run a statewide campaign with all the pieces in place, let alone running a grassroots campaign thrown together at the last minute.
Another glaring omission in the statement is the lack of a platform. He throws out terms like economic development and campaign finance reform, and he mentions he wants to bring about change, but he really doesn't identify what he would like to change. He also mentions he wants to demand better from all local elected officials. I don't really know what that means, but a state representative does not have any control over what a local elected official does, or does not do. I understand this is simply a campaign announcement, but knowing what direction the campaign wants to go in would be beneficial. Buzzwords are nice, and they do well in riling-up the crowd, but at the end of the day, there is a difference between flash and substance.
I don't know if this is going to end up being a comedy or a tragedy, but in any event, it is going to be an interesting election season.
Buckle up, Brownsville. It's about to get bumpy.
Comments
Post a Comment