Rey Robles wins Val Verde County Precinct 2 Republican nomination

Rey Robles secured the Republican nomination for Val Verde County Commissioner Precinct 2 by defeating Antonio “Tony” Rodriguez, 222 votes to 194, and will now face Democratic incumbent Juan Carlos Vazquez in November. The race puts a countywide policymaking seat before voters in a precinct that is part of the four-member Commissioners Court, the body that sets county policy and makes budget decisions for Del Rio and the rest of Val Verde County.

The primary unfolded in a county where 30,487 voters were registered for the March 3 joint primary, but only 6,180 ballots were cast, a 20.27% turnout. Republicans cast 2,885 ballots countywide, while Democrats cast 3,295. In addition to the Precinct 2 contest, local primary races also produced nominees in other county offices, including justice of the peace and county clerk, underscoring how much of the local ballot remained centered on basic county government rather than higher-profile partisan races.

Robles campaigned as a retired candidate with 30 years of federal public service experience. In candidate questions, he said that work involved collaborating with local, state and federal agencies and building bipartisan coalitions. That background was a central part of his pitch as he moved through the primary against Rodriguez, who was identified as an investigator.

Precinct 2 remains one of the county’s key elected posts because it sits inside Val Verde County’s official governing structure. The county’s website identifies the Commissioners Court and shows Precinct 2 as one of the county’s commissioner posts, while the county staff directory lists Juan Carlos Vazquez as Commissioner Precinct 2. That makes the November race a direct contest for a seat that helps shape how county government functions, from policy priorities to spending decisions.

For voters in Del Rio and across Precinct 2, the result leaves a clear choice: keep Vazquez in the seat or send Robles to the courthouse with a federal-service résumé and a promise of coalition-building experience. With the Republican nomination in hand, Robles now enters the general election as the challenger to one of the county’s most consequential local offices.