What you know to know about money being donated in El Paso District Attorney race
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised and spent in the El Paso district attorney race — one of the most competitive local contests in Super Tuesday Democratic Party primary.
The three democratic candidates — Nancy Casas, Alma Trejo and James Montoya — have combined to raise more than $152,000 and spent more than $350,000.
The district attorney seat oversees the 34th Judicial District, which includes El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson counties.
The winner of the primary will face incumbent district attorney Bill Hicks in the November general election. Hicks, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary, has raised $11,411. Hicks' campaign donations are expected to grow once the primaries are over and he knows who he will face in the general election.
Voters head to the polls in the primary election on Tuesday, March 5. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
The annual salary for the district attorney is $198,104, El Paso County officials said. The district attorney receives $140,000 from the state of Texas, while $58,104 is paid for by the county.
The district attorney’s office has an annual budget of nearly $22 million in the 2024 fiscal year, the El Paso County Budget and Finance Department’s 2024 Annual Operating Budget report states.
About 180 positions, including 90 prosecutors, are included in the DA's budget, the report states.
The monetary figures are from the last campaign finance reports filed by each candidate as of Feb. 29.
Key El Paso Walmart case players donate to DA candidates
The biggest case in El Paso history — the 2019 El Paso Walmart mass shooting — has been one of the main issues in the runup to the primary elections, with key figures on both sides donating to the democratic candidates.
Twenty-three people were killed and dozens others injured when a white supremacist targeted Hispanics during their Saturday morning shopping trips. The state's capital murder case remains stalled before Judge Sam Medrano Jr.
The entire Walmart mass shooter's defense team has donated to Trejo. Joe Spencer and Mark Stevens, two of the gunman's attorneys, each donated $500 to Trejo's campaign. Attorney Felix Valenzuela, also part of the gunman's defense team, donated $100 to Trejo's campaign.
On the state side, Rebecca Tarango, who is currently working as a prosecutor for Hicks on the Walmart case, donated $240 to Montoya's campaign.
Trejo and Montoya told the El Paso Times they would continue to seek the death penalty. However, they both said they may change their decision once they are able to review all the evidence in the case.
Casas declined to comment on the Walmart case because a gag order issued in it prevents her as a current county attorney in the El Paso County Attorney's Office from speaking on it, she said.
The Walmart mass shooting case remains at a standstill as Hicks and the gunman's defense attorneys continue to argue over evidence nearly five years since the shooting. Hicks is seeking the death penalty against the gunman.
It is unlikely the state's case will be tried by the end of the year. A new district attorney could be placed if the case goes to trial in 2025.
If Hicks is not elected to the position, the person elected to the seat will be the fourth district attorney to oversee the case since the Aug. 3, 2019 mass shooting.
Before Hicks, former longtime district attorney Jaime Esparza, who retired in 2020, followed by Yvonne Rosales, who resigned from office amid allegations of mishandling the Walmart case, oversaw the case. Both Esparza and Rosales were seeking the death penalty.
Montoya has large lead in political donation
Montoya, currently an El Paso County deputy public defender, has raised $69,076 in political campaign donations.
Casas, currently an assistant county attorney, has raised $49,172 in political donations.
Trejo, who was the last candidate to enter the race, has raised the least amount of money with a total of $34,122.
Montoya's biggest campaign donors include private practice attorney James Rey, donating $3,500, and El Paso Magistrate Judge Linda Estrada, who is running for County Criminal Court 1 judge, donating $3,000.
Other prominent donors to Montoya includes:
Steve Ortega, former El Paso’s City Council representative and current attorney, donated $2,500.
Defense attorney Denise Butterworth giving $2,000.
Ted Houghton, El Paso businessman and former chairman at the Texas State Transportation Commission, donated $1,000.
Texas state Rep. Claudia Ordaz, D-El Paso, donated $750
More: Texas election 2024: Details about primary election in El Paso
Casas' biggest donors includes attorney Noe Valles donating $5,000 and El Paso resident Felix Casas donating $3,450.
Other prominent donors to Casas includes:
Attorney Russell Aboud donated $1,000
Borderland Bail Bonds donated $1,000
Attorney Jesse Herrera donated $1,000
Along with the El Paso Walmart defense team, Trejo's other big campaign donors includes:
Lozano Meza Law Firm donated $3,000
Texas state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, donated $2,000.
El Paso businessman Juan Mimbela donated $2,000
Trejo is largest spender in district attorney race
Trejo has spent $141,280 on her campaign including $100,889 coming from personal funds. She also took out a $10,000 loan.
Casas has spent $110,833 on her campaign including $82,590 coming from personal funds. She paid nearly $73,000 to the political consulting firm Y Strategy LLC. The rest of the money has been spent on campaign fliers, political signs, advertisements, and campaign events.
Montoya has spent $99,410 on his campaign, including $18,152 from personal funds, and charged $13,018 on a credit card. The money has been spent on campaign fliers, political signs, advertisements and campaign events.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: What you need to know about El Paso DA campaign donations
