RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas — Just across the river from Mexico, near the southern tip of Texas, Starr County sits as one of the poorest in the state. It’s also one of the most Democratic.
When was the last time a Republican ran against you, I asked Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, a Democrat.
“Never,” he replied.
Judge Vera is running on his record for a seventh term and bragging about cutting the unemployment rate in more than half, among other things.
Lately, there has been a lot of conjecture that Republicans have begun to chip away at the big blue wall in South Texas. That’s one of the things we wanted to ask him at his office in the courthouse annex.
“It did happen,” he said. “In the [2020] presidential election.”
But was that a fluke? A one and done situation? Or does it represent something bigger underway?
“Yeah, it was just a freak,” Judge Vera explained.
Two years ago, Donald Trump got 47% of the vote in Starr County. It was the highest turnout election in county history. And it stunned Democrats here.
“A lot of it was our fault. We got complacent that everyone was Democrat,” Judge Vera admitted, “and we don’t have to do much. But I guess the last election was a real wake-up call.”
Then Maria Yvette Hernandez got her property tax bill.
“We’re becoming more aware of what it means to become a conservative. It’s fiscal responsibility. It’s accountability. I can be dirt poor, but I don’t want to pay high taxes. I want to keep more of my money in my pocket. I don’t care if I’m making five dollars or I’m making a million,” she explained.
Hernandez, 45, is a business owner and the first Republican anyone can remember to run for county judge in Starr County.
It’s something so rare that a local news website had to create a graphic to explain how to vote in a two-party primary.
“I think we need to look at what we have as resources here,” Hernandez said. “We’re land rich. We may not be financially rich. But Starr County is land rich. And we are on one of our biggest most natural resources here – the [Rio Grande] river. I think we need to start being more creative and have a little more vision on how we can bring more money and use those resources to our advantage.”
But here’s why this race in South Texas matters to the rest of the state.
If Republicans start winning in blue counties along the border, that puts Democrats even further away from winning any statewide office. Democrats are trying to build a voter base across the state. They cannot afford to lose any voters.
It is no surprise then, that Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke are holding their one and only debate in nearby Edinburg on Friday night.
Still, in Starr County, the rise in Republicanism isn’t something most people can see.
“You know, if you look at their [campaign] signs, none of them say Republican,” Judge Vera said. “They’re running on the Republican ticket, but they don’t want people to know they’re Republican.”
The incumbent county judge seemed confident in our conversation.
“If I don’t win this election two-to-one, I’ll be very disappointed,” he added.
In a seventh term, Judge Vera said he wants to build a standalone juvenile center and renovate the historical courthouse.
Hernandez promises to lower the county’s effective property tax rate and bring more transparency to county government.
With five weeks to go, and little money, she knows it remains an uphill battle.
“I think people are confused about what it means to be a Republican,” she added.
Hernandez admits she is a novice politician navigating people who have voted Democratic for decades.
In some ways, what’s happening in Starr County is also a microcosm of what’s happening statewide – with one side predicting victory and the other predicting change.