Early voting results in the race for Brownsville Mayor in the May 14th City Election pointed to a clear leader. With 3,259 of the total 5,962 early votes – Martinez had won 55 percent of the early vote. The considerable lead was a surprise to many, especially with five candidates vying for the seat and a run-off on many people’s minds. Commissioner Edward Camarillo was a distant second in the race with 1,445 early votes; newcomer Mike Garza was third with 541 early votes; Mayor Pat Ahumada had 531 early votes and Viro Cardenas had 123 votes.
Martinez’s lead was hard to overcome and as the ballot boxes came in to the Cameron County Courthouse and precincts were reported – the race stayed consistent throughout the night with Martinez always in the lead.
A minor computer glitch kept held back the final results past 10 p.m. When the final tally was announced – there was little surprise. Martinez won the election with 5,308 votes, or nearly 55 percent of the vote – meaning no need for a run-off. Camarillo got a total of 2,388 votes; Garza had a total 1,009 votes; Ahumada 899 votes; and Cardenas 205 votes.
Martinez is the unofficial winner until Brownsville City Commissioners canvass the votes within 10 days.
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