Hidalgo County
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Lydia ElizondoRepublican
Toribio 'Terry' PalaciosDemocratic IncumbentOn ballot as
Lydia Elizondo
Toribio 'Terry' Palacios
Current role
Attorney
Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney
Background
- Graduate, Weslaco High School and University of Texas-Pan American
- Law degree, St. Mary's University School of Law (1998) (per State Bar)
- Licensed in Texas since 1998 (per State Bar)
- Former secondary English teacher, Weslaco and Mission (before law school)
- Listed by the State Bar of Texas as Lydia Elizondo Mount, of Mount Law, PLLC in McAllen
Show all 7
- Born and raised in Weslaco
- Member, St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish Council (per campaign)
- Law degree, Texas Southern University (1991) (per State Bar)
- Licensed in Texas since 1992 (per State Bar)
- Former law partner, Law Offices of Garcia, Quintanilla & Palacios
- Former defense attorney
Experience
- Has represented clients through the Indigent Defense Program for the last seven years (per campaign)
- Private practice attorney; ran her own firm (per campaign)
- Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office, start of legal career (per campaign)
- District 12 Director, State Bar of Texas Board of Directors (elected 2020; three-year term)
- Served on the Hidalgo County Bar Association board (per campaign)
Show all 7
- Member, State Bar Women in the Profession Committee (per campaign)
- Announced a run in 2023 for judge of County Court-at-Law No. 7 in the March 2024 Democratic primary
- Elected November 2022 with 61.3% of the vote; sworn in Jan. 2, 2023
- Edinburg Municipal Judge, 27 years (first elected June 1994; resigned 2021 to run for district attorney) (per campaign-provided story, Advance News Journal)
Top priorities
- "Hidalgo County deserves a District Attorney who will serve with integrity, transparency, and compassion"
- "It's time to restore integrity to the District Attorney's Office"
- Campaign says it "centers on transparency, ethical leadership, and a steadfast commitment to fairness, compassion, and accountability"
Not found
Tidbits
- Property taxes and budget: No public statement found
- Growth and infrastructure: No public statement found
- Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
- Public safety: Campaign site: says she is "ready to take on corruption and restore faith in our justice system"
- Property taxes and budget: At his January 2023 swearing-in: "we're going to make sure that the taxpayers get their money's worth and make sure we're efficient and effective and without jeopardizing justice"
- Growth and infrastructure: No public statement found
- Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
- Public safety: At his January 2023 swearing-in: "We're trying to deal with jail overcrowding. We're trying to deal with the backlog that we have in our courts."
Endorsements
None found in our research
None found in our research
Lydia Elizondo
Republican- On ballot as
- Lydia Elizondo
- Current role
- Attorney
- Background
- Graduate, Weslaco High School and University of Texas-Pan American
- Law degree, St. Mary's University School of Law (1998) (per State Bar)
- Licensed in Texas since 1998 (per State Bar)
- Former secondary English teacher, Weslaco and Mission (before law school)
- Listed by the State Bar of Texas as Lydia Elizondo Mount, of Mount Law, PLLC in McAllen
Show all 7
- Born and raised in Weslaco
- Member, St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish Council (per campaign)
- Experience
- Has represented clients through the Indigent Defense Program for the last seven years (per campaign)
- Private practice attorney; ran her own firm (per campaign)
- Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office, start of legal career (per campaign)
- District 12 Director, State Bar of Texas Board of Directors (elected 2020; three-year term)
- Served on the Hidalgo County Bar Association board (per campaign)
Show all 7
- Member, State Bar Women in the Profession Committee (per campaign)
- Announced a run in 2023 for judge of County Court-at-Law No. 7 in the March 2024 Democratic primary
- Top priorities
- "Hidalgo County deserves a District Attorney who will serve with integrity, transparency, and compassion"
- "It's time to restore integrity to the District Attorney's Office"
- Campaign says it "centers on transparency, ethical leadership, and a steadfast commitment to fairness, compassion, and accountability"
- Tidbits
- Property taxes and budget: No public statement found
- Growth and infrastructure: No public statement found
- Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
- Public safety: Campaign site: says she is "ready to take on corruption and restore faith in our justice system"
- Endorsements
- None found in our research
- Campaign website
- lydiaelizondo.com
Toribio 'Terry' Palacios
Democratic Incumbent- On ballot as
- Toribio 'Terry' Palacios
- Current role
- Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney
- Background
- Law degree, Texas Southern University (1991) (per State Bar)
- Licensed in Texas since 1992 (per State Bar)
- Former law partner, Law Offices of Garcia, Quintanilla & Palacios
- Former defense attorney
- Experience
- Elected November 2022 with 61.3% of the vote; sworn in Jan. 2, 2023
- Edinburg Municipal Judge, 27 years (first elected June 1994; resigned 2021 to run for district attorney) (per campaign-provided story, Advance News Journal)
- Top priorities
- Not found
- Tidbits
- Property taxes and budget: At his January 2023 swearing-in: "we're going to make sure that the taxpayers get their money's worth and make sure we're efficient and effective and without jeopardizing justice"
- Growth and infrastructure: No public statement found
- Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
- Public safety: At his January 2023 swearing-in: "We're trying to deal with jail overcrowding. We're trying to deal with the backlog that we have in our courts."
- Endorsements
- None found in our research
- Campaign website
- Not found
Open in the full comparison: Hidalgo County