After defeating a former high-ranking El Paso County Sheriff's Office leader, Constable Oscar Ugarte is one step closer to being the new sheriff and is looking to the future after winning a tough Democratic primary runoff.
Ugarte defeated retired El Paso County Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Robert "Bobby" Flores in the Democrat runoff on Tuesday, May 28. Ugarte will face the Republican candidate, retired FBI Special Agent Minerva Torres Shelton, in the general election on Nov. 5.
Voting results:Live results as El Paso heads to the polls in the 2024 primary runoff election
Ugarte was surrounded by cheering supporters at his election party at the Stillinger and Godinez law office in Kern Place as he thanked God, his team, voters and the El Paso community "for believing in me."
“This office belongs to you guys and I’m going to need help," Ugarte said. "I can’t do it by myself, with everybody we are going to make this the greatest sheriff’s office in Texas."
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
Republican candidates have traditionally fared badly in countywide elections in El Paso. But Ugarte reminded his supporters that the campaign is not over and his strategy of reaching out to voters door-to-door will continue into November.
The winner on Nov. 5 will replace Sheriff Richard Wiles, who is retiring after being sheriff since 2009. Before being elected sheriff, Wiles was El Paso's police chief.
'The will of the voters is what matters'
It's important to "respect the will of the voters," Flores said, adding that he was proud of his first-ever political campaign and grateful for the support he received even if he lost.
"I don’t have any real reservations at all. Obviously, these weren’t the results we were hoping for, but when it is all said and done, the will of the voters is what matters," Flores said at a subdued election-night gathering at the , whose owner, Leo Duran, publicly endorsed Flores.
“I got to tell you, I’m not a politician. I have never been a politician," Flores said. "I’m a law enforcement officer who was trying to serve his community in a political position. I think there’s a difference between that and a politician. I have no desire to seek more political offices."
Ugarte takes lead in El Paso County sheriff's race
Ugarte won 57% of the vote (14,068 votes) compared to Flores who had 42.6% (10,459 votes), according to unofficial final results late Tuesday night.
Ugarte started the night with a large lead after unofficial early voting results showed Ugarte at 58.4% with 9,017 votes compared with Flores at 41.6% with 6,461
The question entering the runoff was whether Flores could catch up to Ugarte, the top vote-getter in the March 5 primary election.
In March, Ugarte was far in the lead in the five-candidate field, receiving 43% of the votes (15,436 votes) with Flores coming in second with nearly 24% (8,521 votes).
Door-to-door election strategy
Ugarte ran on a message that it was time for "a new generation of leadership" and generally skipped candidate forums in favor of door-to-door home visits with voters.
Among the events skipped, Ugarte twice declined to attend Channel 7-KVIA's "ABC-7 Xtra" televised candidate shows, a longtime local TV staple of election season in El Paso.
"The most important person in elections is the voter," Ugarte said about his campaign strategy. "Why not go directly to them so they can get to know you? They get to ask you any question that they have. You can go to a forum, a news station or a debate, but the questions are not the same. The most important (thing) is getting that person one-on-one and making them feel comfortable to where they get to know you and that’s the most important thing."
Ugarte was publicly encouraged to run for sheriff by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar along with state Reps. Joe Moody and Lina Ortega and also had the backing of Beto O'Rourke, likely El Paso's nationally best-known Democrat.
Ugarte has been county constable for Precinct 1, which covers parts of Central, Northeast and West El Paso, since 2016. He was previously with the Socorro Police Department for two years before working as a court bailiff and a deputy constable.
'Dirty campaign' accusations
“The biggest challenge (in the runoff race) was fighting all these lies. You know my opponent ran one of the dirtiest campaigns I’ve been involved in," Ugarte said.
Flores' campaign sought to brand Ugarte as too inexperienced to be sheriff, a political mailer called Ugarte "the most unqualified candidate to ever run for sheriff." Another mailer referenced Ugarte's divorce.
Ugarte countered that he has 20 years in law enforcement experience and the dedication and commitment to run a community-oriented department.
When told about Ugarte's allegations of a "dirty campaign," Flores responded that "negatives" are part of political races and that he was proud of his campaign.
Politics:Big name endorsem*nts shape El Paso County sheriff race in 2024 election
Flores ran on his more than 30 years of experience in variety of roles in the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, where he rose in the ranks from detention officer to one of the top leadership posts as assistant chief in charge of the Jail Annex.
"Obviously when we are comparing qualifications and experience, I felt that I was much more qualified and had much more experience, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to winning an election because people are going to vote how they want to vote," Flores said.
"I think there’s negatives that go into every campaign," Flores said. "I’ve been taking shots on my campaign since last August. So, it was just something that was coming out. The truth of the matter is that every candidate has good and bad and his bad was brought up just like my bad was brought up."
Ugarte on management, relationships
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which has a budget of about $122 million, is tasked with law enforcement duties in the unincorporated areas of the county and operates the county jail system made up of the Downtown jail and the Jail Annex on the far East Side.
Managing his Precinct 1 constable office for the last seven years, Ugarte said has given him administrative experience and taught him the importance of relationships and building a good team because a leader can't do it all alone.
"I got elected in 2016, that has shown me that as an administrator besides law enforcement, you also need to understand politics — building those relationships with elected officials, commissioners court, state legislation, with the congresswoman (Escobar)," Ugarte said.
Election 2024:El Paso County sheriff candidates Oscar Ugarte and Bobby Flores answer questions on issues
It will be important to have the right people in the positions of assistant chiefs, commanders and other leadership roles within the Sheriff's Office, Ugarte said.
"There is a lot great talent in the Sheriff’s Office that are ready for growth," he said.
Ugarte's top issue as sheriff: Civilian Social Services Unit
Ugarte reiterated that his top priority as sheriff will be the creation of a Civilian Social Services Unit, where social workers would assist deputies to find help from government agencies and community groups for residents facing a variety of social ills.
"As the next sheriff of El Paso County, I do want to focus on the Civilian Social Services Unit," Ugarte said. "I believe that the prison system is not the solution for everything. When deputies go out there to broken families, I want to have the resources to help that community member.
"If it’s mental health, drug abuse, food insecurity, troubled youth, I want to have a social worker to guide them to the right resources in our community so they don’t end up in the criminal justice system ‘cause that is somebody’s brother, somebody’s uncle, somebody’s sister and we need to work on them and that’s my main focus."
