Leeser finishes with huge lead in El Paso mayor’s race, headed to runoff with distant 2nd finisher Margo
COMPLETE RESULTS: Click here for full election results
EL PASO, Texas – Former El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser built a huge lead in a crowded mayoral field and was headed to a runoff with current Mayor Dee Margo in December.
According to the unofficial final results posted early Wednesday, Leeser accumulated a total of 87,810 votes or 42.4%.
Margo was a distant second in the six-person field with 51,186 votes or 24.7%. Attorney Veronica Carbajal finished third with 45,340 votes or 21.9%, but won't advance to the two-person runoff.
The runoff occurs because no candidate amassed 51% of the vote to win the mayor's office outright.
During his four years in office, Margo has been challenged by his share of turmoil – a surge in immigration, the Walmart mass shooting, a series of court battles over the planned downtown arena and now the Covid-19 pandemic.
Margo, a longtime businessman and former state legislator, will now face yet another challenge – a runoff election at the ballot box.
Other challengers on the ballot were former city planner Carlos Gallinar; former city employee Calvin Zielsdorf ; and veteran Dean “Dino” Martinez.
His most formidable opponent, however, turned out to be Lesser, who is seeking a return to the city's top elective office after four years in private business. Leeser is well-known as the owner of El Paso Hyundai.
Leeser, elected in 2013, chose not to seek re-election in 2017.
Carbajal would've been the first Latina to be mayor if she would've won. She is currently representing tenants in the Duranguito neighborhood who are against demolition so an arena can be built there; the arena project has been championed by Margo.
The last El Paso mayor to lose re-election was Joe Wardy, in 2005. He was defeated by John Cook. Wardy had ousted incumbent Ray Caballero in 2003. Cook was re-elected in 2009.
City elections were moved to even-numbered years in 2018.
Even though polling sites closed at 7, ballots are still making their way to the @EP_Elections headquarters to be counted. A production line of sorts as a safety precaution due to the pandemic. @abc7breaking has your complete #ElectionDay coverage: https://t.co/tGsirk1BUa pic.twitter.com/mcaX7Mm6hx
— Brianna Chávez KVIA ABC-7 (@bri_chavez) November 4, 2020
