Texas Border Business
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
Former 464th District Court Judge Ysmael Fonseca of McAllen, an appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, and former House District 40 state representative Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg – individuals who have strong ties to the Texas Legislature – will participate in a Republican Candidate Dinner Forum on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in McAllen.
Both men are seeking the March 1, 2022 Republican Party nomination for Justice, Place 3, Texas 13th Court of Appeals, which maintains offices in Edinburg and Corpus Christi, for the right to face off against incumbent Justice Letty Hinojosa, D-McAllen, in the statewide election in November 2022.
The Texas Courts of Appeals is one of 14 appellate courts in the Texas judicial system with intermediate jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases that are appealed from the lower district or county courts.
The event, which also include 15 other Republican candidates for county, regional and statewide offices, is being hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Republican Women (RGVRW), a local Texas Federation of Republican Women chapter, according to Maricela “Mari” De León, Program Chair, who may be reached for more information at 956-393-9902.
Fonseca, an appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, served as Judge of the 464th District Court of Hidalgo County from 2019 to 2020, where he managed and presided over thousands of criminal, family and civil cases.
He specializes in civil defense, municipal and governmental law, and small business and non-profit representation.
Fonseca is now a partner at Guerra & Sabo, PLLC in McAllen, which is led by Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen.
Guerra served as Chair, Hidalgo County Democratic Party, from 2000 to 2004.
Peña was a longtime member of the Democratic Party before switching to the Republican Party in December 2010.
Peña represented House District 40 for 10 years in the Texas House of Representatives (2003 through 2013), having served as the Chair of three committees: Criminal Jurisprudence; Emergency Preparedness; and Technology.
In 2014 Peña went on to serve as an Assistant General Counsel in the Texas Department of Agriculture.
In 2015 George P. Bush asked him to act as the Director of Litigation for the Texas General Land Office. He further served as a government relations liaison for the agency.
Sergio Sánchez, former Hidalgo County Republican Party Chair, and Co-Host at KURV 710AM, will moderate the forum.
“The RGVRW is a chapter association of The Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW) organization. TFRW is one of the largest women’s political organizations in the nation and a member of the National Federation of Republican Women,” De León said.
TFRW holds fast to the underlying principles of the Republican Party, government by the people, and the belief that as many people as possible must be part of the process if it is to work effectively. TFRW considers itself as “deniably the most powerful women’s political organization in Texas today.”
