Political filing period closes, for now

Edcouch-Elsa school board president Joseph Campos has already changed his political signage twice for next year’s Democratic primary.

He’s hopeful he won’t be forced to do it a third time.

Campos is one of three candidates to file by Monday’s deadline for the newly created House District 35, joining former Harlingen City Commissioner Gus Ruiz and South Texas College board member Oscar Longoria in a bid for the seat gained by the Rio Grande Valley during a tumultuous redistricting process.

Campos decided to switch his campaign plans from a county commissioner’s race toward the legislative seat in November after a panel of judges included the seat that spans Hidalgo and Cameron counties in an interim map. But that map was invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court, leaving Campos and other candidates in a lurch as they await court rulings in January.

“There’s not much we can do other than wait,” said Campos, who filed for the seat on Dec. 2, a week before the Supreme Court froze Texas elections. “We have no idea where to campaign.”

The candidate filing period closed at 6 p.m. Monday with a steady stream of political hopefuls filling out official paperwork at the Hidalgo County Democratic Party’s headquarters. Two Hidalgo County Republicans also filed for Congress with the state party in a filing period that opened in late November.

• Scroll down for list of candidates of contested races

But Monday’s deadline presented no final picture of next year’s races.

The candidate filing period is slated to reopen in January at a date to be determined by the courts once it determines how state House, state Senate and congressional districts will look. The filing period will then close again on Feb. 1, allowing candidates a chance to enter a race, switch their electoral plans once they see the maps or drop out altogether.

The Feb. 1 deadline will set up the races for the unified primary April 3, the date Texas’ Democratic and Republican parties agreed last week would give election administrators enough time to prepare the state’s ballots. All the state’s elections — including those for races unaffected by the redistricting chaos — will be delayed to eliminate the cost of hosting primaries in both March and April.

As of Monday’s deadline, there were 13 contested races in Hidalgo County, with eight candidates vying for two vacant state House seats.

Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chairwoman Dolly Elizondo-Garcia said “there is very high interest” locally in the open seats, and the crowded field could expand once others decide whether to run after a review of the final maps.

“I anticipate there will be more candidates filing for office in addition to the ones that have already filed,” she said. “It gives people time to analyze their situation, so someone who had reluctance before will feel they can take a run for office once they have more information.”

The state’s elections have been caught in a legal battle over whether redistricting maps drawn by state legislators meet stipulations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Although a panel of federal judges drew the temporary map that included House District 35, the Valley’s new seat, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated all congressional and state maps in Texas until it can host a hearing Jan. 9.

Starr County Democratic Party Chairwoman Judith Solis said the legal fight is bound to create confusion among voters with many campaign signs asking voters for support in March. But she said candidates who haven’t filed but are interested in running would need to quickly decide.

“Most people thought (filing) closed today,” she said. “They would be way behind in the game trying to gather support and funds in February.”

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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and legislative issues for The Monitor. He can be reached at jjanes@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4424.

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Monitor staff writer Gail Burkhardt contributed to this report.

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TWITTER
Follow Jared Janes on Twitter: @moncounty

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COURT BATTLE
A filing period for the 2012 primaries closed at 6 p.m. Monday amid legal turmoil over the state legislative and congressional districts. The filing period will reopen at a date to be determined in January once the courts settle questions over the maps, allowing candidates to enter a race, switch to a different political office or withdrawn their application.

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THE CONTENDERS
Contested races (as of Monday, Dec. 19, 2011) for positions representing Hidalgo County:

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

U.S. House District 15 Rep.
>> Rubén Hinojosa (I)
>> Ruben Ramon Ramirez
>> Jane Cross
>> David Cantu
>> Johnny “JP” Partain

County Sheriff
>> Guadalupe “Lupe” Treviño (I)
>> Geovani Hernandez

County Pct 1 Constable
>> Robert Bobby Maldonado
>> Jesus Jesse Guillen
>> Celestino Avila (I)

County Pct 2 Constable
>> Gilbert “Chato” Alaniz (I)
>> Martin “Marty” Cantu
>> Hector Mendez

State House District 35 Rep.
>> Oscar Longoria
>> Joseph Campos
>> Gus Ruiz

State House District 40 Rep.
>> Timoteo “TC” Betancourt
>> Miriam Eliza Martinez
>> Terry Canales
>> Augustin “Auggie” Hernandez
>> Robert Peña

County Pct 2, Place 1, Justice of the Peace
>> Robert “Bobby” Contreras (I)
>> Rudy Elizondo

County Pct 4, Place 1, Justice of the Peace
>> Charlie Espinoza (I)
>> Leticia “Letty” Garcia

389th state District Court Judge
>> Leticia “Letty” Lopez (I)
>> Alma Garza

398th state District Court Judge
>> Aida Salinas-Flores (I)
>> Fidencio M. Guerra

Pct 1 County Commissioner
>> Joel Quintanilla (I)
>> A.C. Cuellar Jr.

County Court-at-law No. 7 Judge
>> Maria Nereyda Morales-Martinez
>> Sergio Jesus Valdez
>> David Saenz

County Democratic Party Chair
>> Fernando Castillo
>> Kelly Rivera Salazar
>> Rosalie Weisfeld
>> Michael Barnes

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

U.S. House District 15 Rep.
>> Jim Kuiken
>> Eddie Zamora