El Paso GOP faces uphill battle as Armendariz-Jackson seeks victory over Rep. Escobar

Conservative Irene Armendariz-Jackson is making a return to the political arena to wage her third campaign against U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, for the U.S. House District 16 seat.

Armendariz-Jackson previously mounted campaigns against Escobar in 2020 and 2022. In the 2020 election, she walked away with just over 35% of the vote — two years later, she claimed around 37%.

Despite El Paso's decidedly Democratic roots, Armendariz-Jackson believes support is growing for Republican Party ideals like lower taxes, smaller government and a strong border.

"The reality of it is that El Paso has been controlled by one party for 60 years," she said. "And the chaos at the border, and the state of our economy, is not getting any better, it's getting worse."

"If the problems are still there," she added, "why wouldn't I run?"

For his part, El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Adolpho Telles agrees.

"This is clearly a Democratic county," he said. "It's always a challenge to win a seat in El Paso. I do believe people are starting to recognize we need representatives in El Paso that are going to represent our vision and values."

"The economy, the amount of illegal aliens coming into the city, people that are not being vetted and the amount of crime that's occurring from these illegals that are coming in," Telles continued, "people are seeing that and they're realizing it's a result of a lack of Democrats living up to their oath of office, which is to support the laws of the United States."

Despite that confidence, the sparse field of Republican candidates and the third long-shot bid from Armendariz-Jackson speaks to the deficit of local candidates the county GOP continues to face in a Democrat-controlled El Paso.

Who is Irene Armendariz-Jackson?

By now, Armendariz-Jackson is known commodity El Paso political circles. Most of her political efforts have ended in failure. She is a consummate and vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and his "America First" ideology, she is no stranger to controversy.

Armendariz-Jackson came under fire in 2022 after calling the El Paso Strong movement, which sprang up in response to the 2019 Walmart shooting, a "joke" and "demonic."

Only months before, she led an anti-abortion protest at City Hall in opposition to the El Paso City Council's move to create a women's commission.

She raised her profile earlier this year with a recall campaign against El Paso city Rep. Cassandra Hernandez, which prompted the El Paso County Democratic Party to release a statement warning voters of her "far-right extremist" views and possible ulterior motives.

In response, Telles and the El Paso GOP released a statement urging supporters to back the effort, but Armendariz-Jackson and her team could not collect the needed signatures before the November deadline.

'Diplomacy by force'

Armendariz-Jackson's priorities span the gamut of conservative talking points, from taking on "bullies" in the Democratic Party and impeaching President Joe Biden to reigniting Trump-era policies related to the oil industry and exposing China's stronghold over the country.

"This is a commitment to the people of El Paso, mi gente, that the corruption has met a match in that we're constantly exposing how it's all linked and the only ones who benefit from that corruption are the Democrat elected officials," she said. "I'm for low taxes, small government, strong border security and definitely making an impact in the pocketbooks of the taxpayers of this country."

But while Armendariz-Jackson maintains a laundry list of perceived problems and grievances, she has so far offered nothing in the way of a plan to address those issues.

She believes America's adversaries abroad, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Islamist group Hamas, have been emboldened by weak leadership in the United States, something she believes she can have a hand in rectifying.

"I believe in diplomacy by force," Armendariz-Jackson said. "When we have weak leadership, then terrorists are emboldened, bullies are emboldened."

Where the crisis at the border is concerned, Armendariz-Jackson believes the country is suffering from a "self-inflicted wound" that can be healed simply by following immigration rules already on the books.

To date mass migration to the United States has been driven by migrants seeking asylum. U.S. law allows migrants to seek asylum once they are on U.S. territory.

She likewise believes she can help address rising inflation, which she said has "crippled" the country.

"It doesn't take a genius to fix the economy," Armendariz-Jackson said.

El Paso GOP could benefit from wins

The plight of Republicans in the Borderland has been dismal for years, but GOP leaders believe change is on the horizon.

"I think we need some success," he said. "Potential candidates are concerned there's voters out there that don't stop to look at what reality is in our city, or they constantly comment about how bad things are and yet they continue to vote the same way instead of look for someone who's going to make a difference, who's going to help us."

Telles pointed to District Attorney Bill Hicks, who is currently running to keep his post, as a good example of what Republicans can do.

"I think he will be criticized because he is a Republican, but the volume of (case) backlog is lower," Telles said. "He's done a great job and I think he'll continue to do a great job."

He feels the same about Armendariz-Jackson.

"I think we have people like Mrs. Armendariz-Jackson (where) it's the same thing," Telles said. "I think she can get in there in the middle of a mess ... and do something about it."

Further, Telles believes Armendariz-Jackson has a real shot at an upset victory over the entrenched Escobar, whose pro-choice, pro-immigrant positions put her out of step with El Paso's "vision and values."

"I think she's been increasing her strengths slowly," Telles said of Armendariz-Jackson. "I do think she has a chance because of where our country is. She is prepared to get in there, prepared to take positions (and) pursue what's best for El Paso. We just need to get that message out there."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Election 2024: Irene Armendariz-Jackson to Challenge Veronica Escobar