It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
Elisa Morales
Elisa Morales was a candidate for mayor of El Paso in Texas. She was defeated in the general election on May 6, 2017.
Biography
Morales earned a B.A. in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an M.B.A. from Texas A&M University-San Antonio.[1]
Morales' professional experience includes work as a researcher for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, a community liaison for El Paso Behavioral Health System and Vitas Innovative Hospice Care, a health graduate fellow for U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D), a staffer for the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and a legislative aide for U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D). She has also served as a volunteer grant reviewer for the D.C. Executive Office of the Mayor on Latino Affairs.[1][2]
Elections
2017
The following candidates ran in the general election for mayor of El Paso.[3]
| Mayor of El Paso, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Donald Margo |
45.31% | 14,918 |
| David Saucedo |
23.95% | 7,885 |
| Emma Acosta | 15.92% | 5,240 |
| Elisa Morales | 5.60% | 1,845 |
| William Cager Jr. | 4.22% | 1,388 |
| Jaime Perez | 2.89% | 952 |
| Charles Stapler | 1.25% | 412 |
| Jorge Artalejo | 0.85% | 281 |
| Total Votes | 32,921 | |
| Source: El Paso County Elections, "Official Final Election Results," accessed May 23, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2017
Morales' campaign website highlighted the following issues:[4]
The 'Arena'
Excerpt: "The tax payers, will be left with another hefty debt that has implications on the City’s credit and access to low-interest loans. As El Paso’s next Mayor, I will be impartial in ensuring that we focus on all areas of El Paso for development or redevelopment, not just downtown."
Sanctuary Cities
Excerpt: 'We define it as a city in North America that welcomes refugees and illegal immigrants.
Ensuring the sanctity of the United States Constitution and the rights guaranteed to us under the Constitution are vital. While there are currently no formal federal guidelines defining what a Sanctuary City is, El Paso has to remain a City that respects Constitutional rights and procedures. Our local and federal law enforcement must remain within their purview and scope."
'The Wall'
Excerpt: "Building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico is fiscally irresponsible and ineffective. This issue confronts historical relevance of building walls and would diminish the Borderland Economic Environment that allows our economies thrive."
Trump's 2018 Budget
Excerpt: "Trump's proposed FY18 budget, named 'America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,' has extremely harmful implications for the country and El Paso."
Education Alignment
Excerpt: "We need a leader that can see these needs and bring education and industry together to solve these problems for our future. It’s time to think about El Paso's legacy, and we begin by working towards educating our youngest citizens."
Health Care for El Paso
Excerpt: "From Veterans, to our native populations, to the citizens in all sides of our city - timely and quality healthcare has to be ensured and will be achieved by creating a comprehensive solution."
Brain Waste
Excerpt: "We don't have a brain drain, but we have a brain waste. Our City Government has not created the capacity to keep educated graduates here and rewarded for their lifetime."
El Paso's Strained Infrastructure
Excerpt: "El Paso is growing, but with our unique regional constraints, we need to develop a strategy for developing that is both sustainable and practical. For instance; proper planning for our road and highways to meet today’s challenges as well as considerations for city growth in the next 10 years."
CityBeat Magazine asked the 2017 mayoral candidates what their first priority would be if they were elected. Morales said, "Not only have I been talking to a lot of people about the economic revitalization in El Paso, but I got to see hands on what an industry cluster looks like and it’s moving parts. I got to go to Brazil and study bio-diversity – and one of the opportunities that I see for El Paso is innovating in our waste management. In Brazil I got to go to factories where they almost had a zero carbon footprint; and they recycled the dirty water to make smaller items; so they are very creative in their urban planning."[5]
Endorsements
2017
Morales received endorsements from the following in 2017:
- El Paso Green Party[6]
See also
| El Paso, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
External links
- City of El Paso
- Campaign website
- Social media
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elisa Morales for El Paso Mayor, "About," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Elisa Morales," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ City of El Paso Municipal Clerk, "May 6, 2017 General Election," accessed February 18, 2017
- ↑ Elisa Morales for El Paso Mayor, "Year:2017," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ CityBeat Magazine, "Q&A with El Paso's Mayoral Candidates," accessed April 17, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "El Paso Green Party on April 12, 2017," accessed April 17, 2017
| |||||||||||||||||
 |
State of Texas Austin (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
