A judge ruled in favor of Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez in an election lawsuit that challenged his victory in the March Democratic primary race.

His challenger, Tania Ramirez, filed the lawsuit against Cortez in March and alleged several instances of election code violations.

The lawsuit was seeking to have the votes be recounted, as more than 8,400 votes separated Cortez and Ramirez.

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In a statement, Cortez said he believed the judge ruled “correctly.”

“There is no evidence to support a claim that the outcome of this election should be any different than the will of the voters,” Cortez stated. “I am now ready to move forward. The current inflationary economic climate presents us with many challenges that require solutions and I am ready to work with our Commissioners and community leaders to address these challenges.”

Ramirez said in a social media post that she respects the outcome of the lawsuit.

“Despite the judge’s ruling against us, we respect the outcome and the professionalism of the court and opposing counsel. I am glad that we can all agree on one thing: many mistakes were made during the March Democratic Primary and the people of Hidalgo County deserve better,” Ramirez stated.