By: Dianté Marigny
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
Cameron County voters headed to the polls March 3 to help determine party nominees in the 2026 Texas primary election, with several high-profile races drawing strong attention across the region.
According to unofficial results, more than 34,000 ballots were cast in the Democratic primary in Cameron County out of roughly 237,000 registered voters, with early voting accounting for the majority of participation.
One of the most closely watched local contests was the Democratic primary for Cameron County judge. Incumbent Eddie Treviño Jr. led the race with more than 43 percent of the vote, followed by Port of Brownsville Board Chairman Esteban “Steve” Guerra with about 30 percent and former Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza with roughly 26 percent. Because no candidate secured more than 50 percent, the race is expected to move to a runoff election between the top two finishers.
At the state level, Cameron County Democrats largely mirrored statewide trends in the U.S. Senate primary. State Rep. James Talarico led the race locally, finishing ahead of opponents Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the county’s Democratic vote totals.
In congressional races, voters in the area supported incumbent Vicente Gonzalez in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 34th Congressional District.
Several statewide Democratic contests also appeared on the ballot, including races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and other statewide offices. Cameron County voters cast ballots for Marcos Isaias Velez in the lieutenant governor’s race and participated in primaries for attorney general and other state positions.
Another closely watched legislative race involved the Democratic primary for Texas House District 41. With no candidate receiving more than half of the vote, Julio Salinas and Victor “Seby” Haddad advanced to a runoff after finishing as the top two vote-getters.
Under Texas election law, primary runoff elections will be held May 26 in races where no candidate received a majority of the vote.
Final results will remain unofficial until they are canvassed by election officials.