Samaniego voted for a record $894M in bonds and tripled the County debt since assuming office. He increased his own salary by 45.3% and flew business class, in violation of County policy. He supports public funding for the Debt Plaza, which was rejected by the local Democratic precinct chairs by a vote of 60-10. While he shut down local businesses and imposed unprecedented restrictions during COVID, he was caught holding a gathering at his home.
His opponent Minerva Torres Shelton is a moderate Republican who is focused on fiscal discipline, transparency, and sound policy.
Yesterday Samaniego sent a robotext to every voter in El Paso (with a photo of Hinojosa standing next to him) blaming “state unfunded mandates” for raising our taxes and accusing Minerva of “deceptive, MAGA-style tactics reminiscent of Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton.”
Yet Samaniego is the one running around with Hinojosa and Talarico for photo ops while Minerva avoids party politics and focuses on the job of County Judge.
He never explains what “MAGA-style tactics” are and hopes ignorant voters will blindly support him because of their hatred for Trump.
Samaniego’s repeated attempts to frame Minerva as a MAGA radical are a desperate ploy to divert attention from his appalling record.
Lord willing, the voters will show him the door just as they did Stout and Coronado.