The Princeton City Council meets Monday, Dec. 23, to canvass votes in the mayoral runoff election and certify the results as official.
According to complete, unofficial returns from Collin County Elections, Eugene Escobar Jr. won with 643 votes, or 55.82%, to 509 votes, or 44.18% for incumbent Brianna Chacon.
“I have enjoyed the last four years with you all,” Chacon said after the results of the Saturday, Dec. 14, runoff were released. “This wasn’t what I expected, but God is so good in all things. Thanks for all the love, the memories, and the support through the years.”
Escobar said he was deeply humbled and honored.
“This victory belongs to all of us — the people of Princeton who believed in a vision of transparency, unity, and progress,” he said. “This journey has been about more than just an election; it has been about ensuring that every voice is heard and every concern is addressed. Together, we’ve proven that when a community comes together with determination and purpose, anything is possible.”
Escobar led all the way. The totals included 437 ballots from early in-person voting and 38 mail ballots. Collin County Elections reported Escobar outpolled Chacon 257-218 in early voting conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 10 and 386-291 on Election Day.
The Election Day balloting was unusually heavy, as County Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet had expected it would account for only 25% of the total number of votes cast.
With 16,895 voters registered in the city of Princeton, the total count of 1,152 made the turnout 6.82%.
In November, with a presidential election on the ballot, 10,451 votes were cast for the five mayoral candidates, for a turnout of nearly 62%.
But no candidate received more than 50%, forcing the runoff between the top two candidates.
Chacon received 3,312 votes, or 41.00% of the Nov. 5 total, while Escobar won 2,185 votes, or 27.05%.
After the runoff results were reported, Escobar thanked his family, friends and supporters, saying: “Now, the real work begins. I’m committed to serving every resident of Princeton with integrity, accountability and a shared vision for a brighter future. Let’s continue to work together to make Princeton a city we are all proud to call home. Thank you for this incredible opportunity. Let’s get to work!”