On December 11, 2008 Perez announced his resignation, effective in early 2009, and his intention to run for City Council against incumbent Steve Ortega, although Cobos the next day announced he would not accept Perez' resignation. Earlier in 2008 Perez asked County Attorney Jose Rodriguez for an opinion on whether a county judge can resign and still vote on their successor; Rodriguez affirmed that would be possible. Cobos' previous chief of staff, Travis Ketner, pleaded guilty to several felonies and is considered a key source of information in the FBI corruption investigation. The charging document to which Ketner pleaded guilty indicated that Cobos hired Ketner at the urging of former El Paso County Judge and well-known political operative Luther Jones and that Ketner was hired for the explicit purpose of securing bribes for Cobos and others. On December 12, 2008 Cobos held a news conference outside the offices of the El Paso Times to deny rumors he might resign as county judge, and to attack the newspaper for an editorial that wished he would resign. Cobos asked Times publisher and president Ray Stafford and editorial writers Joe Muench and Charles Edgren to debate him, which they did not do. He claimed that the Times is "attempting to break me" and "control my votes and actions on the Commissioners Court". Cobos attempted to enter the Times building, but was blocked by newspaper employees. He also banged on the building's glass doors, and eventually slipped a letter with his complaints through the slit between the doors. At the news conference Cobos also refused to answer questions about whether the rumors of his resignation might be related to Ketner's allegation and the FBI investigation, although he did state that he had not spoken to any federal agency in a year and a half. 2010 County Judge Election Judge Cobos did not seek reelection in 2010. Some politicians rumored to be interested in replacing Cobos as county judge included City Council members Susie Byrd, Eddie Holguin, Steve Ortega, former county judge candidate Barbara Perez, Cobos' chief of staff Jaime Perez, and County Commissioners Veronica Escobar, Willie Gandara, and Dan Haggerty. Sergio Coronado, who ran against Cobos in the 2006 primary, Larry Medina, a former City Council member and former County Commissioner, and Escobar ran in the Democratic primary. The Democratic primary was won by Escobar, and the Republican primary was won by Perez. Escobar