Updated on June 5, 2025 at 5:30E: Verónica Carbajal’s response added.
Breaking News: El Paso News has confirmed that former mayor Oscar Leeser will not be running against Ricardo Samaniego next year. Over the last several months there have been persistent rumors Leeser would be challenging Ricardo Samaniego for his county judge seat. Back in February we surveyed frequent voters to see what a match up between Leeser and Samaniego would look like. The results showed that Leeser would easily defeat Samaniego.
Today we confirmed with Leeser that he has no plans to run against Samaniego in 2026. In a telephone interview today, Leeser told us that he “is humbled by the outpouring of support that he has received recently” by voters asking him to run against Samaniego. Leeser added that although his “internal polling showed that he would beat Samaniego three to one,” he, nonetheless, feels it necessary to be clear that he will not challenge Samaniego, so that “other qualified candidates” have time to organize a campaign against Samaniego.
Leeser was referring to the concerns expressed by voters who feel that Samaniego has pushed forth non-voter approved county debt for pet projects. In 2022, Samaniego voted to issue $400 million in non-voter approved debt for the University Medical Center (UMC). The measure was stopped by a petition signed by 35,000 opposed to the issuance of public debt without voter approval.
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Samaniego has faced several controversies since being elected in 2019. Among them is voting to give himself a $19,200 pay raise. Samaniego also missed a county commissioners meeting on April 22, 2024, after sheriff’s deputies responded to an altercation involving him and his girlfriend at the time, who accused Samaniego of “cheating on her.”
Last month, Samaniego voted to approve issuing $54 million in non-voter approved debt as well as $155 million in general obligation bonds. The general obligation bonds were approved by the voters on November 5, 2024. The $54 million in certificates of obligation are destined for four county projects that include access to drinking water, wastewater construction and road extensions.
On April 9, 2025, Samaniego held a fundraiser to raise funds for his campaign to seek reelection. According to an agenda item on the county commissioners’ May 19, 2025 agenda, Samaniego has raised $33,000 in campaign contributions.
Members of the commissioners must report any campaign contributions received by them on the commissioner’s agenda within 30 days of any contribution over $2,500. According to the agenda posting by Samaniego, twelve people contributed more than $2,500 each recently. It should be noted that the campaign contributions reported by Samaniego are for amounts over $2,500 that he accepted. The next campaign reports that will include all the contributions are due on July 15.
Potential Candidates
Ricardo Samaniego, who is running for reelection, faces other possible challengers now that Leeser has indicated he will not run. Two names immediately came up. David Stout has been rumored to be wanting to run for county judge. Now that Leeser is not running, it opens the door for Stout to challenge Samaniego for the seat. However, Stout also supported the most recent non-voter approved certificates of obligation what some voters have opposed.
Another name that immediately surfaced is Verónica Carbajal, who endorsed Leeser in 2020 and who almost unseated Dee Margo, coming within three points of Margo in 2020.
Carbajal’s grassroots infrastructure that she used in 2020 would make her a formidable candidate against Samaniego. Political consultant Chris Hernandez said that “it would take someone with big name recognition or a huge war chest to beat Samaniego.” Speculating “for fun,” Hernandez added that someone like Claudia Ordaz, or Beto O’Rourke would be competitive against Samaniego, as an example of the name recognition it would take to beat him.
Late yesterday, Carbajal told El Paso News that “she is not running for county judge.”
List of Recent Campaign Contributors To Ricardo Samaniego Reelection Campaign
Richard Aguilar: $2,500 on April 7, 2025
Blake Anderson: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Benjamin Arriola: $2,500 on April 14, 2025
Randall Bowling: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Richard Chiu: $3,000 on April 9, 2025
Steve Fox: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Frederick Francis: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Paul Foster: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Woody Hunt: $5,000 in two contributions of $2,500 each on April 9 and May 1, 2025
Stanley Jobe: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Steve Ortega: $2,500 on April 9, 2025
Marathon Petroleum: $2,500 on May 1, 2025