By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Seventeen persons have filed for places on the ballot of the March 2026 Democratic Party
Primary.
Democratic Party leaders, county elected officials who ran as Democrats, candidates, family
members and friends gathered for an end-of-filing event Monday evening at the party’s
headquarters, 902 S. Main St. Filing ended at 6 p.m. Monday.
All but one of the Democrats currently holding elected office in Val Verde County have filed for
re-election.
District Clerk JoAnn Cervantes told The 830 Times she has decided to retire at the end of her
term in 2026. Cervantes also said she will endorse Raquel Magallanes, who currently serves as
Cervantes’ chief deputy and who filed her application Monday to seek the Democratic Party
nomination for the office of Val Verde County District Clerk.
Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. will seek re-election to the office he currently holds.
Owens filed his application for a place on the Democratic Party Primary Election ballot on the
first day of filing.
Owens has drawn an opponent for the Democratic Party nomination. Former Del Rio Mayor
Bruno J. Lozano filed his application for a place on the ballot Monday. Lozano is also seeking
the office of Val Verde County Judge. Lozano listed his occupation as flight attendant.
The winner of the nomination will face Republican Party challenger Robert Beau Nettleton, the
former Precinct 3 county commissioner, in November.
Val Verde County Treasurer Aaron D. Rodriguez and Val Verde County Surveyor Abner
Martinez have both filed applications for places on the Democratic Party Primary Election ballot.
Both are seeking re-election to the offices they currently hold, and neither has drawn a challenger
in the primary election.
Rodriguez has drawn a Republican opponent, Michelle Fagan. No Republican filed for the office
of County Surveyor.
Also running unopposed in both the March 2026 Democratic Party Primary Election and the
November General Election is Val Verde County Court-At-Law Judge Sergio J. Gonzalez.
Gonzalez, too, is seeking re-election to the office he currently holds.
Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez filed an application for a place on
the March 2026 Democratic Party Primary Election ballot. Vazquez is seeking re-election to the
office he currently holds.
Vazquez has drawn an opponent for the Democratic Party nomination. Rose M. Castro filed her
application for a place on the ballot on Monday. On her application, Castro listed her application
as greeting clerk.
The winner of the Democratic Party nomination will face the winner of a two-way race for the
Republican Party nomination for Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 2.
Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores filed an application for a place on
the March 2026 Democratic Party Primary Election ballot. Flores is seeking re-election to the
office he currently holds.
Flores has drawn an opponent for the Democratic Party nomination. Former Val Verde County
Clerk Generosa “Janie” Ramon filed her application for a place on the primary election ballot
seeking the office of Precinct 4 county commissioner. On her application, Ramon listed her
occupation as retired.
The winner of the Democratic Party nomination will face a Republican Party candidate in
November.
The offices of Justice of the Peace Pct. 1, Pct. 2, Pct. 3 and Pct. 4 are up for election in 2026.
Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Jesse James Trevino filed an application for a place on the primary
election ballot. Trevino is seeking re-election to the office he currently holds.
Trevino did not draw an opponent in his party’s primary election, but two Republicans, Christian
Martinez and Mario Bosquez, have filed applications to run for the office, and Trevino will face
the winner of that contest in the November General Election.
Robert “Bobby” Hernandez, a Del Rio Police Department officer, has filed an application for a
place on the primary election ballot, seeking the Democratic Party nomination as Justice of the
Peace Pct. 2.
Hernandez is unopposed in the Democratic Party Primary Election, but will face the winner of a
two-man race for the Republican Party nomination. One of the two Republicans running is J.
Randel Dissler, who is the sitting Justice of the Peace Pct. 2. Dissler was appointed to the office
by county commissioners court following the death of the elected justice, Antonio “Tony” Faz
III, earlier this year.
Loida S. Arellano and Juan Roberto Martinez have filed applications for places on the primary
election ballot, both seeking the Democratic Party nomination for the office of Justice of the
Peace Pct. 3.
The winner of the Democratic Party nomination will face the winner of a two-way race in the
Republican Party Primary Election. Justice of the Peace Pct. 3 Pat Cole, a Republican, has
announced she intends to retire from the bench at the end of her term in 2026.
Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 Hilda Castillo Lopez filed an application for a place on the
Democratic Party Primary Election ballot, seeking her party’s nomination for the office she
currently holds. Lopez is seeking a fourth term in office, and she is unopposed in both her party’s
primary, and no Republican candidate has filed for the seat.
There will also be a race in the Democratic Party Primary Election for the office of Val Verde
County Democratic Party Chair. Rosalinda Hernandez, the current chair, has filed an application
seeking re-election, and she has drawn an opponent, Abril Hernandez.
The following persons have filed for the indicated offices on the Democratic Party Primary
Election ballot, with (I) behind the office title to indicate an incumbent seeking re-election:
Jesse James Trevino – Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 (I)
Robert “Bobby” Hernandez – Justice of the Peace Pct. 2
Lewis G. Owens Jr. – County Judge (I)
Loida S. Arellano – Justice of the Peace Pct. 3
Rosalinda Hernandez – County Chair (I)
Juan Roberto Martinez – Justice of the Peace Pct. 3
Abril Hernandez – County Chair
Hilda Castillo Lopez – Justice of the Peace Pct. 4 (I)
Generosa “Janie” Ramon – County Commissioner Pct. 4
Aaron D. Rodriguez – County Treasurer (I)
Juan Carlos Vazquez – County Commissioner Pct. 2 (I)
Sergio J. Gonzalez – County Court-At-Law Judge
Gustavo “Gus” Flores – County Commissioner Pct. 4 (I)
Raquel Magallanes – District Clerk
Bruno J. Lozano – County Judge
Abner Martinez – County Surveyor (I)
Rose M. Castro – County Commissioner Pct. 2 (I)
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
