After primary win, Jackie Butler gears up for showdown against Republican, Libertarian
After a victory in the Precinct 1 race for the El Paso County Commissioners Court, Jackie Arroyo Butler is setting her sights on the opposition awaiting her in November.
Butler ended Super Tuesday with 58.7% of the vote (5,226 votes) compared to 41.3% (3,683 votes) for her opponent, former El Paso County Sheriff's Officers Association President Pete Faraone, according to unofficial election results.
"I'm humbled by the voters of Precinct 1 who have put their faith in me to be the Democratic nominee in November," she wrote in a text. "We're going to make a difference for El Paso and the Eastside together."
Faraone mounted a strong campaign but could never quite gain steam on Butler, who had a months-long head start on her campaign and the support of several Democratic Party powerhouses, such as state Reps. Mary Gonzalez and Joe Moody.
She also served as senior policy advisor to outgoing Precinct 1 County Commissioner Carlos Leon.
"I'm very proud to have been a part of this process," Faraone said on election night. "I'm proud that I was able to give the voters a choice in this election. I'm very thankful to the voters who came out and voted. I'm thankful to all the people who helped and supported my campaign. And I wish nothing but the best for Jackie Butler."
But the campaign has only begun for Butler, who now has to contend with the rare three-candidate contest during the November General Election.
In a few short months, Butler will go up against Libertarian Ryan Woodcraft, a retired U.S. Army veteran and member of the city's Ethics Review Commission, and Republican Claudia Rodriguez, a former member of the El Paso City Council who the Ethics Review Commission reprimanded for her use of a city-issued gas card.
And Butler's opposition is already gearing up for the showdown.
'The field is set'
While Butler takes a brief victory lap, her opposition pressed their independence in preparation for the November General Election.
Rodriguez is leaning on her previous experience as a city representative with a reputation for speaking her mind. This reputation gained steam as she remained defiant over "excessive" fuel card usage. She lost her City Council reelection campaign to city Rep. Art Fierro in a December 2022 runoff.
"I am excited to start a new campaign in hopes of returning to serve my community and constituents of east El Paso," she wrote in a text message. "I look forward to being the only candidate that has experience serving, knows the issues, knows the constituency, knows the local businesses and has a record of real results. But most importantly, I am the only candidate not afraid to say out loud what everyone else is already thinking."
Woodcraft, meanwhile, is hoping to attract voters who supported Faraone based on his policies of "fiscal discipline."
"Over 3,600 of you voted for Pete Faraone, who, like me, ran on a platform of fiscal discipline," Woodcraft wrote in a text from a hotel in California. "I would love to earn your vote in November and I come to this election without the dysfunction of the two-party system."
As the partisan divide grows in Washington and beyond, Woodcraft believes his third-party run could benefit his campaign.
"More voters than ever identify themselves as independents and the calls for a viable third-party candidate are getting louder," he said. "You have the opportunity to choose a candidate who truly represents you.
"The field for County Precinct 1 in the November General Election is set. There are two status quo candidate who will provide you more of the same: high taxes, deficit spending, government expansion, and grandiose plans to tax and spend our way into prosperity. I offer you a real choice if you want actual change."
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Jackie Butler wins primary, faces Republican, Libertarian in November
