Everyone thought they knew how the 2024 race would go. People kept talking about the "same old" politics, but honestly, the El Paso mayor candidates 2024 lineup ended up being one of the most unpredictable shifts in the city's modern history. You had eight people jump into the ring initially. It wasn't just a crowd; it was a clash of completely different philosophies on how to handle a city that feels like it’s at a breaking point with property taxes and "brain drain."
Renard Johnson eventually took the seat, but the road there was messy.
The Reality of the Runoff: Johnson vs. Kennedy
By the time the dust settled from the November general election, two men were left standing: Renard Johnson and Brian Kennedy. It’s funny because people often oversimplify these races into "business guy vs. career politician," but that’s a lazy way to look at it.
Renard Johnson wasn't just some random executive. He’s a homegrown guy who built METI Inc. from nothing into a massive systems engineering firm. He leaned hard into that "outsider" energy. His whole pitch was basically: "I know how to manage a billion-dollar budget because I've done it in the private sector." He talked a lot about aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and making El Paso a place where UTEP grads actually want to stay instead of packing for Austin or Dallas the second they get their diploma.
Then you had Brian Kennedy. He wasn't exactly a "career politician" in the traditional sense—he’d only been on the City Council for District 1 since 2022—but he had decades of experience running the El Paso Coliseum. Kennedy’s vibe was much more about "effective leadership" and "straight talk." He was the one pointing out that the city's debt was spiraling and that the current spending habits were, in his words, "irresponsible."
The runoff on December 14, 2024, wasn't a nail-biter. Johnson won with about 56.1% of the vote. Kennedy trailed with 43.9%. But here is the part that most people get wrong or just plain ignore: the turnout. It was abysmal. Less than 10% of registered voters showed up for that runoff. Think about that. In a city of nearly 700,000 people, a tiny fraction decided the direction of the next four years.
Who Else Was in the Mix?
It’s easy to forget the other six candidates who didn't make the cut, but they represented a huge chunk of the city's frustration.
- Cassandra Hernandez: A sitting city representative who ended up with about 10% of the vote. She was a major player but couldn't overcome the momentum of the top two.
- Isabel Salcido: Another council member who tried to make the jump to the mayor's office but fell short.
- Steven Winters: A retired Army command sergeant major who brought a disciplined, no-nonsense perspective to the debates.
- Marco Contreras: A local restaurant owner who really hammered home the struggles of small business owners.
- Elizabeth Cordova & Ben Mendoza: They rounded out the field, each bringing specific grassroots concerns to the table, though they struggled to gain the fundraising traction needed for a city-wide win.
The Big Issues That Actually Moved the Needle
If you ask someone on the street in El Paso what they care about, they aren't going to give you a stump speech. They're going to talk about their tax bill.
Property taxes were the undisputed king of the 2024 cycle. El Paso has some of the highest property tax rates in the country, and both Johnson and Kennedy knew they couldn't ignore it. Johnson's approach was to grow the commercial tax base—basically, get more big companies to move here so homeowners don't have to shoulder the whole load. Kennedy focused more on cutting what he called "crazy spending" and "certificates of obligation" (which are basically debts the city takes on without asking voters first).
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Public safety was the other big one. We used to brag about being the safest city in America. Now, we've slipped. Being "number 5" sounds good to an outsider, but to locals, it feels like a decline. Johnson made a big deal about the fact that the police department is short over 300 officers. You can't recruit doctors or high-tech businesses if the people you're trying to hire don't feel safe walking their dogs at night.
The "Beto Factor" and Endorsements
Endorsements in El Paso are... weird. They matter, but maybe not as much as candidates hope. Renard Johnson landed a huge one: Beto O'Rourke. Say what you want about his national runs, but in El Paso, Beto still moves the needle for a lot of people. He wasn't alone, though. A bunch of labor unions like the AFL-CIO and the IBEW jumped on the Johnson train early.
Kennedy, on the other hand, had the support of groups like the Black El Paso Democrats and the El Paso County Sheriff's Officers Association. It created this interesting dynamic where the "establishment" was somewhat split, but the momentum clearly favored the business-centric vision Johnson was selling.
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Why This Election Matters for the Future
Renard Johnson was sworn in on January 6, 2025. He's the first Black mayor in the city's history, which is a massive milestone that shouldn't be glossed over. But now the "campaign energy" has to turn into "governing energy."
The city is currently dealing with a serious "brain drain" problem. We have great schools like UTEP, but the talent just leaves. Johnson’s plan involves connecting soon-to-be graduates with local businesses before they even look at a job board in another city. It sounds great on paper. Actually doing it requires a level of coordination between City Hall and the private sector that El Paso hasn't seen in a long time.
What You Should Do Next
If you live in El Paso or are looking to move here, don't just look at the headlines. The 2024 election changed the faces at City Hall, but the problems are still the same.
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- Watch the City Council meetings: Now that Johnson is in, the real work happens in those boring Tuesday morning sessions. That's where the tax rate actually gets set.
- Check the 2025 Budget: See if the promises about "economic development" and "police recruitment" are actually getting funded. Talk is cheap; line items are real.
- Engage with your District Representative: Five new council members were elected alongside the mayor. If you don't like the way things are going, they are your most direct line to change.
The 2024 race showed that El Pasoans are tired of the status quo. Whether the new leadership can actually deliver on lowering taxes while fixing the streets is the multi-million dollar question. Keep your eyes on the 2025-2026 fiscal year—that's when we'll see if the "businessman's approach" actually works or if it was just good marketing.