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Protest candidate Armando Perez-Serrato, who said he wants to give Trump the death penalty, pulled a surprising number of votes in Democratic primaries in the Rio Grande Valley.
Armando Perez-Serrato, a Californian running a protest campaign against President Joe Biden, racked up thousands of votes in at least three Rio Grande Valley counties' Democratic primaries, peeling off support for the incumbent.
Perez-Serrato, who also wants to give Trump the death penalty, according to his website, landed nearly 5,000 votes in Hidalgo County's Democratic primary, coming in second place with 15% of the vote. Biden won around 66% of the vote there.
Perez-Serrato also performed unexpectedly well in neighboring Cameron County, garnering nearly 2,000 votes and coming in second place with 11%. In Webb County, he pulled 14% of the electorate, or 2,500 votes.
“The best performance for a named Biden challenger might be in South Texas tonight and that challenger's name is (checks notes) ... Armando Perez-Serrato,” pollster Patrick Ruffini wrote on social media platform X.
Other than being staunchly anti-Trump, Perez-Serrato’s platform includes a 50% bump in monthly social security checks and recognizing an independent Palestinian state, which some social-media onlookers said might have contributed to his Tuesday surprise.The best performance for a named Biden challenger might be in South Texas tonight and that challenger’s name is (checks notes) … Armando Perez-Serrato https://t.co/MyqosL1emR
— Patrick Ruffini (@PatrickRuffini) March 6, 2024
Pro-Palestine activists in other parts of the country have pledged to not vote for Biden due to his handling of the conflict in Gaza. However, it's unclear how many will continue to withhold their support in November, since Trump is a staunch pro-Israel ally and made the controversial call to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem during his presidency.
Others on X aren’t so sure there was a clear motivation behind Valley voters casting ballots for Perez-Serrato — other than him not being Biden.
“Literally who tf are Armando Perez-Serrato and Gabriel Cronejo and how have they gotten a combined 21% of the vote?” user @_fat_ugly_rat_ tweeted. “Are people just voting for whatever other names they see as an anti-Biden protest vote?”
Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.Literally who tf are Armando Perez-Serrato and Gabriel Cornejo and how have they gotten a combined 21% of the vote? Are people just voting for whatever other names they see as an anti-Biden protest vote?
— Izzy 🇺🇲🏳️🌈 (@ImIzzyOk) March 6, 2024
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