CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Early voting for the Nov. 5 election begins Oct. 21 and this year, the much-anticipated presidential contest will likely mean more people at the polls.
In Corpus Christi, the expected high voter-turnout will also play a role in several key matchups, including the race for the At-Large seats on the City Council.
Current At-Large council members Michael Hunter and Mike Pusley are running in other local races, leaving Jim Klein as the only incumbent.
Long-time 3NEWS political analyst Bill Chriss said that the candidates with the edge are usually those whose names have been seen before.
“The thing that’s going to be difficult is if you’re somebody in that At-Large race and you don’t have prior government service or you don’t have name identification,” he said. “Name identification tends to drive those At-Large races.”
Current council member Roland Barrera is leaving his Dist. 3 seat in hopes of being elected to one of these At-Large positions.
But there are other names you may recognize, as well; people who have previously served on the council and who are hoping to return, such as Carolyn Vaughn, Mark Scott and Larry Elizondo.
Rounding out the rest of the field are experienced business leaders and community advocates, including Rachel Caballero, Robert Reyna, Jennifer Gracia, Sylvia Tryon and Jahvid Motaghi.
For many voters, however, there is one issue that may influence their selection more than any other.
“The elephant in the room is desal,” according to Chriss. “Where are the desal plants going to be built? Are there any that are going to be built? How big are they going to be?”
At least three of the At-Large candidates have indicated that they support a desalination plant: Reyna, Scott and Barrera.
Two others, Motaghi and Elizondo, support desal, but have concerns over whether the Inner Harbor is the best place for it.
Meanwhile, Caballero, Klein and Tryon oppose desal, while Vaughn and Gracia have not yet indicated one way or the other.
Chriss also tells 3News that a candidate’s position on the ballot is often undervalued in these races and can play a role in determining who the top three vote-getters will be.
To hear more of our conversation on some of our local election races, click here.