U.S. Rep Escobar faces Irene Armendariz Jackson again for congress

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is facing Republican challenger Irene Armendariz-Jackson in the 16th Congressional District.

This is not the first time Escobar and Armendariz-Jackson have gone head to head. In 2020 Escobar beat Armendariz-Jackson for Congress with 65 percent of the vote.

This time around Armendariz-Jackson tells KTSM 9 News her focus is on the economy and immigration.

“The economy, people are hurting right now. We need to stop the spending. We need to stop the spending immediately and we need to secure the border. As we’re knocking on thousands of doors, people over and over (say) the number one issue is the economy. People are hurting,” Armendariz-Jackson said. “When we go and pump gas we know that there is a disparity.”

According to the Armendariz-Jackson campaign website, she is the wife of a Border Patrol agent and small-business owner.

Escobar said she is concerned about Republicans regaining control of Congress.

“We also know exactly what rRepublicans intend to do if they regain control of Congress. They’ve told us that they are going to eliminate Social Security. They have told us that they are going to make permanent the tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent which will blow up our deficit. They told us that they are not absolutely committed to the NATO alliance’s commitment to Ukraine,” Escobar said.

This is Escobar’s third time running in the 16th Congressional District. She was elected to Congress in 2018 and re-elected in 2020.

Before running for Congress, Escobar was an El Paso County commissioner and then the county judge.