An upset at the top as parts of Hays turn blue

Democrat Ruben Becerra will take the helm as Hays County judge after defeating Republican Will Conley in Tuesday night’s election. In one of several nail-bitingly close elections, Becerra received 39,904 votes (51.71 percent) to Conley’s 37,267 (48.29 percent). The county judge’s race, in which more than 79,000 people cast their ballots, drew more Hays County voters than the 2016 presidential election, which saw just over 72,000 votes cast according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Elections Division. 

Becerra’s victory could be considered a surprise, given that Conley had served as Precinct 3 county commissioner for 13 years and had current County Judge Bert Cobb’s blessing to run for the judge’s seat. Conley also had a six-figure war chest, and between July and November Becerra raised just a fraction of the funds that Conley received from donors. Becerra, a business owner in San Marcos, had previously run for mayor but lost in a runoff election to John Thomaides. 

Becerra said that as county judge, he wants to forge partnerships to find ways to benefit the residents of Hays County.

“People over party, people over politics,” he said. “... People are the biggest priority.”

Becerra said he wants to see the county partner with entities like Gary Job Corps and the municipalities within Hays County to maximize resources and to cut wasteful spending.

“We have the opportunity to come together as Republicans, as Democrats, as Independents, as residents of Hays County to do the things that are most useful for the residents of Hays County,” he said. 

Becerra was not the only Democrat who won at the county level Tuesday night. Democratic challenger Elaine Hanson Cardenas defeated incumbent County Clerk Liz Q. Gonzalez by about 5,000 votes — 40,607 (53.28 percent) to 35,602 (46.72 percent). Democrat Beth Smith defeated James H. Kohler in the race for Justice of the Peace Pct. 2, winning 9,932 votes (64.26 percent) to Kohler’s 5,524 (35.74 percent). In the Justice of the Peace Pct. 5 race, Democrat Scott J. Cary defeated Republican Karen Marshall with 7,438 votes (55.23 percent) to Marshall’s 6,029 votes (44.77 percent). 

However, the Hays County Commissioners Court will maintain its Republican majority. Place 2 incumbent Mark Jones defeated Democratic challenger Richard W. Cronshey by more than 1,000 votes, earning 10,751 (53.38 percent) to Cronshey’s 9,390 (46.62 percent). In the race for the unexpired term for Place 3, incumbent Lon Shell eked out a 46-vote victory over Democratic challenger Jimmy Alan Hall, 1,056 (50.11 percent) to 10,010 (49.89 percent). Republican Precinct 4 candidate Walt Smith defeated Democrat Omar Baca by a margin of more than 1,000 votes, 11,519 (51.38 percent) to 10,309 (45.98 percent).