21 Oct Val Verde Sheriff Says He Hasn’t Endorsed Abbott, Though Campaign Lists Him Among 11 Sheriffs

Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez says he has not endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott, even though Abbott’s re-election campaign lists him among 11 sheriffs it describes as Democrats backing the governor.

“I have not issued a political endorsement of Governor Greg Abbott, and I did not authorize anyone to use my name as an endorsement,” Martinez said in a statement dated Oct. 20.

The campaign announced the endorsements Oct. 19, saying the sheriffs “crossed party lines.” Besides Val Verde, the list includes sheriffs from Brewster, Brooks, Culberson, Dimmit, Duval, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Presidio, Zapata and Zavala counties. The announcement quoted Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez, who said Abbott gave sheriffs the resources they needed during the border crisis. The campaign’s page still listed Joe Frank Martinez as of midday Wednesday.

Martinez said he told the sheriff who submitted the endorsement that he couldn’t back Abbott, in part because he serves both Democrats and Republicans. No one from the governor’s office contacted him about an endorsement, he said, and he doesn’t need anyone speaking for him.

He did say he appreciates the governor’s help for Val Verde County, including border law enforcement resources. But he said thanking the state for that support is a separate matter from a political endorsement. In the statement, he pointed to news coverage, including a KTSM article titled “Texas Sheriffs Endorse Greg Abbott,” that has been circulating.

Martinez said he will keep working with state officials regardless of party and urged residents to vote. The general election is Nov. 3.