Newcomers defeat incumbents David Stout, Sergio Coronado in El Paso County commissioners Democratic primary

by Priscilla Totiyapungprasert
March 3, 2026

First-time candidate Annette Griego ousted incumbent El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado for the Democratic nomination in Precinct 4 on Tuesday, while Miguel Teran won a tight race over incumbent David Stout in Precinct 2.

Griego captured 57% of the total votes in her race, while Teran had 53% of the votes in his.

Griego said she felt thankful and blessed when she saw the early voting results come in.

“I am so glad that the voters – every phone call I made, every knock on that door – they believed in me, they believed in my passion for the city, for my Precinct 4, and I felt really, really happy,” Griego said.

Griego added that her “full representation” will set her apart from her Republican opponent heading into the general election. Every one of her campaign mailers has her phone number and email so people can contact her directly, she said.

Coronado said he was taken aback by the early voting results and felt he had accomplished what he set out to do in his term: expand water infrastructure in the colonias, improve parks and spearhead the Promise program to transition youth of the criminal justice system.

“(Griego) came out with some negative mailers criticizing me for doing certificates of obligations,” Coronado said. “But you know the certificates of obligations were exactly that – water infrastructure, roads, for public safety, things some people have had to do without for decades. I didn’t think it was right that people who have water, have these services, should vote on whether others get them.”

Coronado said he wished voters understood that if it weren’t for federal funding cuts and Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star’s hit to the county budget, Commissioners Court would not have raised taxes.

He hopes Griego wins the general election come November.

Stout said he also found the early voting results unexpected and felt disappointed by his opponent’s negative campaign mailers with misrepresentations. He thinks with the large voter turnout, there were people Stout’s campaign did not reach.

He left Teran a message later in the night to congratulate him on the victory. Stout thanked his campaign staff and voters for their support, and said he is willing to help Teran in any way to bring success to Precinct 2.

“I’m very proud of the work I’ve done over the last 11 years and still have a number of months in office and going to continue working hard for Precinct 2,” Stout said. “We talked to voters about our progressive ideals. At the end of the day, I’m not the candidate they chose and we respect that.”

Teran did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Teran will face Republican Matt Sistrunk, while Griego will face Republican Leo Arcos in the Nov. 3 general election. Both Republican candidates are unopposed in their primary races.

Andrew Haggerty, who represented Precinct 4, was the last Republican elected to Commissioners Court, in 2014.

Stout, 46, previously worked in broadcast journalism and communications. He is currently serving his third consecutive term. 

So far in this campaign, Stout has raised about $53,900 in contributions, including $10,000 from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers Association PAC, $5,000 from TREPAC – the Texas Realtors PAC and $5,000 from businessman Stanley Jobe of Jobe Materials. He loaned his campaign $7,910. Stout has spent about $36,570 total this campaign.

His challenger Teran, 61, is a construction project manager who has served as a director for the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 since 2005. He opted to run for county commissioner for the first time instead of seeking reelection to the water district.

Teran has raised about $9,520 so far in this campaign, and loaned himself $47,500. Teran has spent about $40,480 this campaign. He submitted two amendments after filing two reports with financial discrepancies.

Coronado, 66, is an attorney serving his first term as county commissioner. He previously served on the Canutillo Independent School District Board of Trustees for 16 years.

The incumbent has raised $78,800 this campaign, including $7,500 from Jobe, $5,000 from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers Association and $5,000 from businesspeople and philanthropists Woody and Gayle Hunt. He’s spent about $40,940.

His challenger, Griego, 50, is a nurse practitioner and first-time candidate. She opened the El Paso Family and Pediatric Clinic on the Eastside. She has raised about $2,180, with her biggest donation coming in at $500 from attorney Hector Beltran of Carreon and Beltran Law Firm. She’s given her campaign two $25,000 loans. Griego has spent about $34,650 on her campaign so far.

In the GOP primary, Sistrunk has raised about $1,420 and spent $2,300 as of mid-January, while Arcos has raised $3,180 in contributions and spent $1,290 over the same time. 

Commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid close to $133,500 annually. The winner of the general election will take the oath of office Jan. 1, 2027.

Precinct 2 covers Central El Paso and the Lower Valley. Precinct 4 spans West El Paso County, including Canutillo, Anthony, the Village of Vinton, and Westway to Northeast El Paso just above Hondo Pass.