Edinburg attorney Omar Ochoa announces run for mayor
Edinburg native and one-time city attorney Omar Ochoa has announced his intent to run for mayor in the November 2025 Edinburg municipal election.
Ochoa made the announcement via a video posted to social media earlier this month.
Ochoa began the brief announcement by thanking current Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr., who on Jan. 29, announced he was halting his reelection campaign due to a recent cancer diagnosis.
“I want to start by wishing current Mayor Ramiro Garza best wishes on his health journey. Him and his family have given this city so many years of service,” Ochoa stated on Instagram on Feb. 2.
“And under his leadership, we have seen the city reach new heights. But Edinburg, we are on the cusp of something really special. We are a city on the rise and we have so much in front of us,” Ochoa continued.
The longtime personal injury and local government attorney, who is the son of former Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa, went on to say that he wanted to continue the city’s legacy of prosperity.
But running for mayor hadn’t been something Ochoa had considered until after he learned of Garza’s cancer diagnosis, which he called “unfortunate news.”
“Given my experience, given how well I know the city, it was just apparent to me that I could do a really good job as the Edinburg mayor. And it was something that I decided, in conjunction with my family, that it was something that I wanted to do,” Ochoa said.
With Garza pulling out of the race, Ochoa realized he could potentially return to serve the city that had nurtured him in a new capacity — an elected one.
“It just gave me an opportunity to stop and think and just realize what it is that I can do for Edinburg,” Ochoa said.
Ochoa served as the Edinburg city attorney for just over five years after his initial appointment in January 2019.
Last April, however, Ochoa announced he would be stepping down to focus on his private law practice, which he had continued to maintain while serving the city.
Ochoa stayed on until July, when the Edinburg City Council appointed his successor, Josephine “Josie” Ramirez to lead a restructured, in-house legal department.
Though Ochoa has served as a public official before, he has never before been elected to public office.
However, he has helped other candidates with their campaigns, including his own father’s mayoral runs.
The elder Ochoa, a well-known Ednburg pharmacist, served two stints as the city’s mayor — first, from 1993 to 2003, and then again from 2006 to 2009.
Prior to being Edinburg’s mayor, Joe Ochoa served on the Edinburg ISD Board of Trustees for nine years. And it’s that public service that has inspired his son to run for mayor now.
“I think his focus on public service is really just something that’s really stuck with me,” Omar Ochoa said.
“And so, when this opportunity came up … it just gave me an opportunity to stop and think and just realize what it is that I can do for Edinburg.”
Ochoa now joins former Edinburg Councilman Johnny Garcia in the race for mayor.
Meanwhile, Place 1 Councilman Daniel “Dan” Diaz and Place 2 Councilman Jason De Leon have also announced their intent to run in November.
The two are seeking their second and final terms in office since Edinburg elected officials are limited to two terms.
The window to file a candidate application doesn’t open until July 19.
The post Edinburg attorney Omar Ochoa announces run for mayor appeared first on MyRGV.com.
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