El Paso's District 1 City Council race is headed to a runoff after none of the four candidates cleared the 50% threshold needed to win outright. Incumbent Alejandra Chavez led the field with 10,865 votes, or 47.50%, while challenger Sam Armijo finished second with 4,540 votes, or 19.85%, setting up a head-to-head contest between the two in December.
A Close Fight for Second Place
According to KTSM, Armijo edged out Matthew James Kozik by just 52 votes in the race for the runoff spot, a margin tight enough to underscore how competitive the lower tier of the four-way race became. Daniela Garcia trailed the field with 2,981 votes, or 13.03%, per the same report. District 1 covers part of West El Paso and the Upper Valley, the station noted, a stretch of the city that will now see an extended campaign season before voters decide the seat.
As reported by KFOX, Chavez will face Armijo in the runoff after no candidate won a majority outright. Chavez is the sitting District 1 representative, and the race was one of several on El Paso's ballot where a crowded candidate field split the vote enough to force a second round.
How Chavez Took the Seat
Chavez was elected to the District 1 seat in December 2024, filling the unexpired term of Brian Kennedy, according to El Paso Matters. In this year's race, she faced three challengers: Armijo, Garcia and Kozik, the outlet reported ahead of the election. El Paso Matters also reported that a runoff would be triggered if no candidate topped 50% of the vote on Election Day — the outcome that ultimately played out.
On the campaign trail, Chavez emphasized infrastructure and public safety improvements, tighter oversight of city spending, responsible economic development and accessible constituent services, the outlet's report noted. Armijo's campaign, meanwhile, centered on lower property taxes, restrained city spending and opposition to several major development projects, the same report said.
Spending Gap Between the Frontrunners
The financial picture behind the race was lopsided. Chavez was the largest spender among the four District 1 candidates, according to El Paso News, which reported she spent $134,380.16 on her campaign. Armijo was the second-largest spender, reporting $72,990.70 in expenses, nearly all of it funded from his own pocket, per the outlet's reporting.
Kozik reported $30,035.62 in campaign expenses, which included $15,477.72 in spending by Amanecer People's Project routed through Ground Game Texas, the same report said. Garcia, who finished last in the vote count, also reported the smallest campaign budget by far, spending just $514.91.
Budget Backdrop Looms Over the Runoff
The runoff comes as the City Council has already approved a $658.6 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2027, along with a tax rate that, while lower than the voter-approval rate, is still expected to raise city tax bills by about $105 on an average-value home, El Paso Matters reported. That budget decision sits in the background of a race where property taxes and city spending have been central points of contrast between the two runoff candidates.
