Vicky Oduk said she was told her political career was over after endorsing Sergio Porres, but that didn’t stop her from knocking on doors for him anyway.

Shortly after the May 3 election, Oduk, a Kenyan immigrant and civic leader in Irving, said she received a blunt warning from Irving Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Webb: Take back your endorsement of Porres, or your future in politics is finished.

According to Oduk, that warning came after she publicly backed Porres in the runoff for Irving City Council Place 2, a tight race against David Pfaff set for June 7. The endorsement, she said, was rooted in shared values. “He was running a campaign with values that were the same as mine—family values—purely people-driven.”

Oduk, who ran against both men in the May 4 election but fell short of the runoff, said her campaign focused on “people who I resonate with,” adding, “I am not a rich city councilwoman… I don’t care if you are middle class or no class.”

She saw a similar conviction in Porres. “I felt Sergio had that too in his campaign… he could be a voice of normal Irving residents.”

Though she said she respects both remaining candidates, Oduk told The Dallas Express that casinos played a role in her decision to endorse Porres.

“I weighed pros and cons of casinos in my neighborhood, and I found cons outweighed pros… It was going to hurt the disadvantaged.” She added, “Casinos are not empowering.” Oduk expressed concern that a casino could bring trafficking, money laundering, and other social harms.

Oduk added that she briefly spoke to Pfaff on the phone to explain her decision after she endorsed Porres and that the duo had a polite exchange.

Pfaff and Porres have emerged as the final contenders in a race that has become the focal point of local debate over casino expansion. As The Dallas Express previously reported, Pfaff has drawn support from the Las Vegas Sands-tied Lone Star Conservative Action Fund, which spent around $170,000 on advertising supporting him and two other candidates in the recent municipal elections.

After Oduk endorsed Porres, she said Webb began persistently contacting her by text, voicemail, and phone. She did not respond at first. Eventually, she said, they connected. That’s when Webb allegedly told her, “Sergio is not a good person; no one knows him,” and urged her to reverse course.

Oduk said Webb offered to craft a statement for her to read to Porres over the phone and then post online. The message, contained in text messages Oduk shared with The Dallas Express, read: “I have had several request [sic] to endorse the runoff candidates. I am formally, [sic] withdrawing my endorsement of any campaign and staying neutral. I will encourage anyone who voted for me to make their own decision on who they are going to vote for.”

She said she considered the request but ultimately decided against it after discussions with her family. “It would be unethical,” she said, adding that recording someone without their consent didn’t sit right with her.

She questioned Webb’s sudden interest in her future: “He had never helped me when I was campaigning for myself.”

An alleged message from Webb, reviewed by The Dallas Express, read, “You definitely need to call me. Rumors are starting to go around f [sic] talking about you being paid for your endorsement of Sergio. It’s not looking god [sic] you not returning my calls.”

“I felt threatened,” Oduk said.

The Dallas Express reached out to Webb for comment, but he did not respond prior to publication. Oduk shared a voicemail recording that appears to feature a man identifying himself as Webb, consistent with the Mayor Pro Tem’s voice.

Despite the alleged pressure campaign, Oduk has doubled down. She’s been canvassing neighborhoods in support of Porres and remains confident in her choice—even if uncertain about her political future.

Asked if she believes her career is over, she replied with one word: “Kinda.”

She later clarified: “But that isn’t going to stop me from running again.” In fact, she’s thinking bigger. “Mayor Oduk is in the making, big time,” she said.

Oduk is no stranger to local service. In her 16 years in the U.S., she’s served on an advisory committee to the Irving ISD superintendent, worked with the West Irving Public Library, and volunteered with an anti-domestic violence organization.

Webb is a pastor at Bear Creek Church in Irving. He has served off and on in the City Council for more than a decade, according to his city bio.

Oduk’s endorsement came amid an already turbulent campaign season. As The Dallas Express previously reported, voters in Irving dealt a blow to casino proponents during the May election, backing anti-casino candidates John Bloch and Adam Muller in two key races.

Another dramatic twist in the Place 2 race came when several Muslim organizations either withdrew their endorsement of Pfaff or switched their endorsements to Porres after The Dallas Express was the first to report on the extent to which the Lone Star was backing Pfaff.

Pfaff publicly distanced himself from Lone Star in the lead-up to the May election. “I don’t want their [Sands and Lone Star’s] support,” he said in a campaign video. “I can not be bought.”

Porres has repeatedly denounced the possibility of casinos coming to Irving since the public first became aware of the matter in late February and early March of this year.

The runoff between Pfaff and Porres is set for June 7.