Ever since he swore in then-Cameron County Judge election winner Carlos Cascos before the latter took off to become Texas Secretary of State, local Democrats have suspected District Attorney Luis V. Saenz was a DINO (Democrat In Name Only.)
In photos posted in social and mass media sites, Saenz was featured prominently administering the oath to Cascos and then looking over his shoulder as he signed the oath of office. (See graphic below.)
The curious thing about Saenz's appearance as a "friend" in the local Republican page is that chairperson Morgan Graham is explicit in what the site is for. It is for "our Republican candidates to post information about upcoming events such as meet-and-greets, socials and fundraisers.' (See graphic below)
The cozy relationship grew even closer during the last Democratic Party primary when candidates linked to Luis' Team Saenz invited Cascos to a rally in La Feria held for Democratic Party candidates.
At the time people wondered why the Democrats were hosting Cascos when their two candidates in the primary – former Brownsville mayor Eddie Trevino and Robert Sanchez –were not.
In fact, the candidates – including Lali Betancourt for county clerk and her supporter Mari Saenz, Luis' brother – posed with Carlos.
Now, county Democrats have been flirting with the GOP back to the days when Tony Garza ran for office against Ray Ramon and beat him with the endorsement of four of the five sitting county commissioners. Garza then went on to win another term and – like Cascos after him –went on to become the Republican governor's SOS.
In one of Cascos' later races for reelection, he beat Gilberto Hinojosa for court judge, a county political player who is now the chairman of the Texas Democratic party. This is a humiliation that Hinojosa has never forgotten.
But this is the first time in recent memory that a faction of the local Democrats has openly courted a staunch Republican like Cascos. Unfortunately for Team Saenz, most of the candidates they supported in the races in this year's primary went down to ignominious defeat.
Now Team Saenz is pegging its hopes on 197th District Court candidate Adolfo Cordova to beat Saenz nemesis Carlos Masso, who twice lost to Luis in previous races for DA in the upcoming runoff, and in the county court judge's race in the November general election between Cascos and Treviño.
Will Saenz's splinter Democratic faction carry the day against Treviño? Or will the yellow-dog Democrats find a way to unite to fight off the GOP candidate and the renegade Democrats?