We Have An Opponent

The Monitor has the first story of the campaign season. You can find it below.

Saenz challenging Peña to a rematch for House seat

Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez
September 17, 2007 - 9:51PM

Eddie Saenz
Age: 47
Occupation: Engineer
Education: bachelor’s degree, University of Texas at Austin
Family: Married, one child

Aaron Peña
Age: 48
Occupation: Lawyer
Education: bachelor’s degree, University of Texas at Austin; law degree, Texas Southern University
Family: Married, five children (one deceased)


AUSTIN — Eddie Saenz and state Rep. Aaron Peña appear to be heading for Round 2.

Saenz, an engineer, has filed the necessary paperwork with the state to begin raising money for a campaign rematch against Peña for House District 40 in the March Democratic primary.

Peña, who has held the seat since 2003, faced a challenge in 2004 from Saenz, who came up short with 35 percent of the vote. Peña ran unopposed in 2006.

Now Saenz said it’s time to try again. He said Peña has not listened to local leaders in his Hidalgo County district. He also questioned Peña’s dedication to the overwhelmingly Democratic district, citing Peña’s decision to align himself earlier this year with Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick.

“He’s betrayed the district by being a staunch Craddick supporter,” Saenz said.

Saenz wouldn’t rule out voting for a Republican speaker himself, if elected, but said he would vote for someone more moderate than Craddick.

Peña said he worked with Craddick to deliver what his district thought was important, including more money for the Regional Academic Health Center, expanded eligibility for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, increased funding at the University of Texas-Pan American, an increase in teacher pay and trying to get a veterans hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.

“What Mr. Saenz is suggesting, that he be a back-bencher bomb-thrower, is not going to advance the interests of the Valley,” Peña said.

Peña said he is a lifelong Democrat and remains so, citing his position as director of South Texas outreach for the Hillary Clinton for president campaign.

Saenz and Peña will fight for a district that is the largest by land mass in Hidalgo County, taking in the north and westernmost parts of the county. It includes most of Edinburg and all of Edcouch, Elsa, La Villa, La Joya and Sullivan City.

Peña is a lawyer who decided to run for office after his 16-year-old son died of a drug overdose in 2001. He accomplished his major goal earlier this year when the Legislature dedicated $3 million to build a drug-treatment center in Edinburg, he said.

He called the session “probably the best” in the Valley’s history.

“We have a successful track record of success that is measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

If re-elected, he wants to work to establish a full medical school in the Valley, which would help attract federal and state funds for a veterans hospital, he said.

Saenz said Peña has ignored parts of the district such as Edcouch, Elsa and La Joya. If elected, he would look for ways to create jobs by building health clinics, community college branches or whatever local leaders determine necessary, not just in Edinburg but across the district, he said.

“Being involved as an engineer is being involved in construction,” Saenz said. “We need to create this sort of activity in other areas of the district as well,” he said.

He also wants to continue expanding CHIP to include more families with a higher income than the program currently allows, he said.

Saenz, 47, is a graduate of McAllen High School and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He runs an engineering firm, J.E. Saenz & Associates.

Local leaders from Edinburg and other cities came to Saenz asking him to run, Saenz said. Peña’s alliance with Craddick and other factors mean it’s a different climate in the district, he said.

In the 2004 campaign, Saenz said, Peña harped on a lawsuit against Saenz by the city of Edinburg alleging Saenz, a frequent government contractor, owed the city money. He was later cleared of wrongdoing, he said.

“We just feel that the dynamics have changed and I just feel that I’m not going to be beat up with the city like last time,” he said.

Peña said he would challenge Saenz to run a clean campaign, saying Saenz has already used untoward campaign tactics.

“Eddie’s been running since he lost in 2004, and they’ve started with dirty whisper campaigns, unregistered blogs that attack my family, and lies and misrepresentations that are told to the community,” Peña said.

Peña would not say what those unregistered blogs were.

Others may yet join the race. The deadline to register for the primary is Jan. 2. The election is March 4.
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Elizabeth Pierson Hernandez covers the state capital for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Austin and can be reached at (512) 323-0622.