Election Results: ABC-7 projects Oscar Leeser winner, Dee Margo concedes in El Paso mayoral race
EL PASO, Texas -- Saturday's runoff election in El Paso decided the city's mayoral race, the District 2 and District 4 city council seats, and a municipal court judgeship among others.
In the non-partisan mayoral race, ABC-7 projected incumbent Mayor Dee Margo, a businessman and former state legislator, was easily defeated by Oscar Leeser, president of a Hyundai car dealership who previously served as mayor from 2013 to 2017.
Leeser, standing by his wife at a podium to address reporters shortly after ABC-7 projected him the winner, thanked the people of El Paso whom he said had spoken "overwhelmingly."
"It's an exciting night for El Paso, 80% of the voters voted for a change and I'm so excited," Leeser said, pledging to unite El Pasoans in the wake of his landslide victory.
In his remarks, Leeser said he would begin working right away on a plan to tackle the community's Covid-19 crisis, as El Paso’s confirmed death toll neared 1,200 with hundreds of deaths still under investigation.
Margo told ABC-7 that he called Leeser to concede based on the insurmountable lead that existed in the early voting results released shortly after the polls closed at 7 p.m.
"I'm now going to be a full-time grandfather and part-time golfer," the outgoing mayor told ABC-7.
You can view the full comments made by Lesser and Margo in the video players at the end of this article.
In some of the other key races...
- For City Council District 2 in west-central El Paso, incumbent city Rep. Alexsandra Annello won by a slim margin over her challenger, former district chief of staff Judy Gutierrez.
- In Council District 4 in northeast El Paso, voters unseated incumbent city Rep. Sam Morgan and selected Joe Molinar, a retired El Paso police sergeant, to replace him.
- For the Municipal Court 4 bench, voters selected El Paso attorney Lillian Blancas, who died of Covid-19 in the days leading up to the election. She defeated Enrique Alonso Holguin. Because Blancas won the runoff, the City Council will now have to appoint a person to fill the position.
A waste of time and money, especially given the pandemic. Need to change the rules, he/she with the most votes wins!
You’re right. A plurality should suffice. Waste of tax dollars.
Oscar is “such a good boy” so lets turn out and get him elected.😊🇺🇸
We are getting ready to go vote now. I am not voting for Lesser, I am voting against Margo for being a RINO and fake conservative.
Margo not Nazi enough for you?
Is Lesser commie enough for you?
I don’t care who wins as long they address the 2 BILLION dollar deficit we have.
The only way to address that deficit is to raise taxes. Is that what you want?
What would a “conservative” have done differently?
You’re a fucking idiot. At least Margo tried to keep businesses open against Samaniego’s “Covid only spreads after 10:00” BS. You’re probably one of those butthurt Trump fan boys that think the Presidential election was stolen. Congrats, you’re the 2020 version of a 2016 Hillary backer.
It was 100 stolen if you think otber wise you are an idiot
You’re an idiot if you think it was.
How was it stolen and where is your evidence?😏🇺🇸
Most of if not the entire city council is and has been Democrat.
How to we erase a $2 billion dollar deficit? This didn’t happen overnight.
By taxing more and spending less. They have the taxing part down but not so much the spending less.
“In his remarks, Leeser said he would begin working right away on a plan to tackle the community’s Covid-19 crisis.” OK Oscar, what do you plan to do differently? Most things have been tried short of the military roaming the streets, shooting anyone who dares poke his nose outside. Besides, everyone seems to be opposed to any remedy proposed by those in authority! I, myself, am following a self imposed style of quarantine. Seems to be working…..so far!!
Don’t give that totalitarian fake markturner any ideas. He is a combo of Pol Pot and Joseph Stalin.
Says our resident doctorate in political science.
He didn’t lie though. He has you pegged to the T.
Maga and Mike know a little about *pegging* they do it everytime they get a chance.
Pol Pot and Stalin are amateurs compared to the Trumptard. That’s why his ass was thrown out of office and FIRED!!