With early results from a few notable counties including Lubbock and Taylor trickling in, Tom Sell took an early voting lead over Abraham Enqiruez in the Republican party primary runoff election for West Texas-based U.S. House District 19.
Sell had received about 64.2% of early votes counted so far across the sprawling district that includes Lubbock, Abilene and Big Spring. That included more than 60% of the early vote from Lubbock County and 68% in Taylor County – the two largest counties in district.
But multiple counties had not reported data by around 7:30 p.m. and most had not released final but unofficial election day totals.
Enriquez is the founder and president of Bienvenido US — a conservative-leaning Hispanic organization focused on promoting American/traditional values, free markets, while also increasing Hispanic civic and political participation.
Sell is a business owner and co-founder of the Combest, Sell & Associates agriculture lobbying firm. He served as a chief aide for then U.S. House Rep. Larry Combest in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The winner of the primary runoff will face Democratic nominee Kyle Rable of Lubbock in November to succeed current TX-19 U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington of Lubbock. Arrington announced last year he would not seek re-election after serving in the seat since he was first elected in 2016.
Abraham Enriquez of Lubbock
Enriquez is the founder and president of Bienvenido US — a conservative-leaning Hispanic organization focused on promoting American/traditional values, free markets, while also increasing Hispanic civic and political participation.
According to his website, he is an Abilene Christian University alumn with a bachelor’s degree in political science with double minors in international business and Spanish with a concentration in pre-law.
The issues he is running on are:
Tom Sell of Lubbock
Sell is a business owner and co-founder of the Combest, Sell & Associates agriculture lobbying firm.
According to his website, Sell has previous experience in Congress, having served as the right-hand man to then-U.S. Rep. Larry Combest. He was praised for playing a key role in advancing major legislation, including the 2002 Farm Bill and the landmark Crop Insurance Reform Act of 2000.
The issues he is running on are:
What were results after the March 2 primary?
Seven candidates entered the Republican primary for U.S. House District 19. In a crowded race, none of the candidates received the necessary 50% plus one vote to avoid a runoff, with Sell and Enriquez emerging as the top two to face off in the May 26 runoff. Here are results from the March 2 primary election.
Where is the TX-19 Congressional District located?
According to the U.S. Census, there are 787,000 people in the large swath of Texas that the district covers, with the median household income being $64,889.
A little over 25% of the district has a bachelor’s degree or higher, with much of the district’s economy being dedicated to farming and ranching. Major cities are Lubbock and Abilene, with other cities including Plainview, Big Spring and Andrews.
The district is a Republican stronghold in the state, as the Republican candidates have won the general election for the seat by over 70% of the vote in the past eight elections, according to historical voting data.
(Reporter Mateo Rosiles contributed to this report.)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Election results for West Texas’ U.S. 19 House Republican primary runoff
Reporting by Adam D. Young, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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