In a late-night development, Democrat Oscar Ugarte has been announced as the unofficial victor in the race for El Paso County Sheriff according to final unofficial results released shortly after midnight on Wednesday, with his lead standing at a solid 59.14 percent over Republican Minerva Torres Shelton. According to KTSM, Ugarte, currently a constable, received 137,330 votes to Torres Shelton's 94,901, marking a substantial margin in this border county's law enforcement leadership change.
The sheriff's position, sat upon by Richard Wiles for a long tenure of 16 years, is now poised to be filled by Ugarte who edged out his contenders in a tough Democratic primary and runoff, his experience in law enforcement stretching beyond two decades, Ugarte's path to the ballot was affirmed by the support within his party, as detailed by KFOX-TV.
The solid endorsement has come from voices within the community who highlight Ugarte's dedication to the region and its people, El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, having known him for almost a decade, characterized Ugarte as "a progressive individual" who is "transparent" and "doing this for the right reasons," while emphasizing his commitment to the people and the employees he leads as he steps into the role, as obtained by El Paso Times.
