Fagan withdraws from Val Verde County treasurer race, Rodriguez alone on ballot

Michelle Fagan’s withdrawal from the Val Verde County treasurer race left incumbent Aaron D. Rodriguez as the only remaining candidate on the November ballot, stripping the contest of its once-expected head-to-head finish and sharply narrowing voter choice in a post that oversees county finances.

Sharon Petitt, chair of the Val Verde County Republican Party, confirmed that Fagan had filed withdrawal papers about a week earlier. Petitt said the county executive committee did not have the authority to replace Fagan on the ballot, leaving no Republican substitute in place for the general election.

The practical effect was immediate. Fagan had entered the race with a campaign treasurer filing on Jan. 5, 2026, and later won the Republican nomination without opposition in the March 3 primary. That same joint primary drew 6,180 ballots from 30,487 registered voters in Val Verde County, a turnout of 20.27 percent. Republicans cast 2,885 ballots and Democrats cast 3,295.

Fagan said her decision followed a change in family circumstances. Her husband’s work schedule had increased, required more travel, and she said she no longer believed she could devote the 40-plus hours a week she felt the job deserved. In a small county where a single withdrawal can erase a contested race, her exit turned a routine ballot line into a race that appears settled before November.

Rodriguez, who entered office in January 2015 and had served about 11 years by the time of the withdrawal, said his focus remained on serving the community and earning the trust of taxpayers. He ran as the Democratic incumbent, and with Fagan out, he stood alone for a position that reaches into every county department.

That matters because the treasurer is Val Verde County’s chief financial custodian. The office, created by the Texas Constitution in 1846 and set to a four-year term, receives and accounts for county money, disburses funds as directed by the Commissioners Court, reconciles bank statements and makes monthly financial reports. The Texas Association of Counties says county treasurers may also serve as investment officer and may take on duties tied to human resources, benefits, risk, insurance or audits in some counties. Val Verde County also posts treasurer reports online, keeping the public’s window into the office’s work open even as the race for control of it narrowed to one name.