Tara Rios Ybarra wins state District 43 primary

BROWNSVILLE — Eight months of intense campaigning paid off Tuesday for Tara Rios Ybarra, who won the Democratic primary for state representative for District 43, defeating incumbent state Rep. Juan Manuel Escobar.

As of press time, Rios Ybarra received 10,426 votes to 9,616 for Escobar.

As the first precincts reported, it was a close race between Escobar, a retired Border Patrol agent who lives in Kingsville, and Rios Ybarra, a South Padre Island resident and alderwoman with a dental practice in Brownsville.

But about 10 p.m., Rios Ybarra’s steadily rising vote totals pulled her ahead.

Rios Ybarra, a Corpus Christi native, then maintained an 800-vote lead with about half of the 79 precincts counted.

A laughing and obviously excited Rios Ybarra said she was confident of a win shortly before the last Cameron County precincts were counted.

There were no Republican challengers for the District 43 seat, making Tuesday’s primary the de facto election.

“I feel incredibly humbled, actually,” Rios Ybarra said. “I believe South Texas and the district I represent is the best place to live in the country and the most exciting part of the state.”

Rios Ybarra called it an awesome opportunity to represent District 43, especially because the region is growing “by leaps and bounds,” particularly in Cameron and Willacy counties.

Rios Ybarra said her goals will be to help provide affordable health care in the Rio Grande Valley as well as high-paying jobs. She also said she wants to push for more economic development.

Campaigning throughout six counties and 300 miles was the best experience of her life, she said.

“I look forward to working with all the legislators in the state,” Rios Ybarra said.

Escobar was unavailable for comment late Tuesday. But earlier in the evening, Escobar said he could not comment on early voting results because he was on the road traveling to Kingsville and had not received word or seen the results.

Early voting results for Cameron County hinted at the election outcome. Rios Ybarra took the lead with 1,898 votes to Escobar’s 1,280. She also won the early vote in Kenedy County with 37 votes to Escobar’s 20 votes there.

Rios Ybarra won Kenedy County shortly before 9 p.m. with 140 votes to Escobar’s 95 votes.

Escobar took the early vote in Kleberg County, his home area, with 1,469 to Rios Ybarra’s 961.

Escobar also won the early vote in Jim Hogg County with 645 votes to Rios Ybarra’s 537, as well as the overall vote there.

This was Escobar’s third bid for the District 43 seat. He said previously that he hoped his record would help him win.

He was first elected to fill the unexpired term of Irma Rangel who represented District 43 for 27 years until her death in 2003.

Escobar was unopposed in 2004.