2025 San Antonio mayoral election
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The 2025 San Antonio mayoral election was held on May 3, 2025, to elect the next mayor of San Antonio, Texas. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on June 7. Municipal elections in Texas are officially nonpartisan. Due to the passage of Proposition F in 2024, the winner will receive a four-year term, as term limits were changed from four two-year terms to two four-year terms.[1]
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May 3, 2025 (first round)
June 7, 2025 (runoff) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A wide field of 27 candidates qualified for the general election. Former Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos advanced to the runoff. Candidates eliminated in the first round included technology entrepreneur Beto Altamirano and city councilors Adriana Rocha Garcia, Manny Peláez, Melissa Cabello Havrda, John Courage, and Clayton Perry.[2] Jones would win the runoff with 54.3% of the vote.[3]
Background
Municipal elections in San Antonio are nonpartisan meaning all candidates are classified as nonpartisan. Incumbent mayor Ron Nirenberg was term-limited, having been elected four prior times in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Nirenberg was the longest serving mayor of San Antonio since Henry Cisneros, and this election marked the first time since 2009 that no incumbent had been on the ballot.[4]
The first announcement in the campaign came from councilmember John Courage in January 2024, 15 months before the election, nearly tripling the length of time candidates have historically officially campaigned when compared to recent mayoral elections in the city.[5] The first mayoral vacancy since 2009 had led more sitting council members to enter or express interest in the race, in turn leading to increased political divisions within the city council.[6][7]
Candidates
Advanced to runoff
- Gina Ortiz Jones, former under secretary of the Air Force (2021–2023) and nominee for Texas's 23rd congressional district in 2018 and 2020 (Democratic)[8]
- Rolando Pablos, former Texas secretary of state (2017–2018) (Republican)[9]
Eliminated in the first round
- Beto Altamirano, tech entrepreneur[10]
- Santos Alvarado, retiree[11]
- John Courage,[a] city councilor for the 9th district[14] (endorsed Ortiz Jones in runoff)[15]
- Armando Dominguez, candidate for mayor in 2023[16]
- Arturo Espinosa, chemical engineer[17]
- Adriana Rocha Garcia, city councilor for the 4th district[18]
- Brandon Gonzales, granite polisher[17]
- April Guadarrama, retired insurance agent[17]
- Melissa Cabello Havrda, city councilor for the 6th district[19]
- Christopher Herring, business consultant[11]
- Jade McCullough, childcare company owner[17]
- James Melvin, construction liaison[17]
- Robert Melvin, real estate company CEO[20] (endorsed Pablos in runoff)[21]
- Manny Peláez, city councilor for the 8th district[22]
- Clayton Perry, former city councilor for the 10th district[23]
- Chris Reyes, survey technician[11]
- Bill Ruppel, appraiser[16]
- Robert Salinas, auto repair shop owner[17]
- Michael Samaniego, candidate for mayor in 2023[16]
- Mauricio Sanchez, investment management company CIO[24]
- Sonia Traut, retiree[17]
- Diana Flores Uriegas, housewife and candidate for mayor in 2023[17]
- Andrew Vicencio, retiree[17]
- Tim Westley, education services specialist at the Department of Defense, Republican nominee for Texas's 15th congressional district in 2016 and 2018, and candidate for Land Commissioner in 2022[25]
- Gerardo Zambrano, engineer[17]
First round
Endorsements
Beto Altamirano
- Local officials
- Nelson Wolff, former Bexar County judge[b] (2001–2022) and former mayor of San Antonio (1991–1995)[26]
Melissa Cabello Havrda
- Local officials
- Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, San Antonio city councilor from the 2nd district (2021–present)[26]
- Labor unions
- Northside American Federation of Teachers Local 3216 (co-endorsed with Ortiz Jones)[27]
- Organizations
- Avow Texas (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice Texas)[28]
- Bexar County Young Democrats[29]
Gina Ortiz Jones
- U.S. representatives
- Joyce Beatty, OH-3 (2013–present)[30]
- Julia Brownley, CA-26 (2013–present)[30]
- Lois Frankel, FL-22 (2013–present)[30]
- Chrissy Houlahan, PA-6 (2019–present)[30]
- Annie Kuster, NH-2 (2013–2025)[30]
- Norma Torres, CA-35 (2015–present)[30]
- State legislators
- Wendy Davis, former state senator from the 10th district (2009–2015)[31]
- Individuals
- Charlotte Clymer, activist and writer[32]
- Kelley Robinson, community organizer[33]
- Labor unions
- Northside American Federation of Teachers Local 3216 (co-endorsed with Cabello Havrda)[27]
- Texas State Teachers Association Local 67[c][34]
- Organizations
Rolando Pablos
- County officials
- Kevin Wolff, former Bexar County commissioner (2009–2020)[42]
- Political parties
- Bexar County Republican Party[43]
Adriana Rocha Garcia
- Local officials
John Courage, San Antonio city councilor from the 9th district (2017–present)[44] (reentered the mayoral race in February 2025)[14]
- Newspapers and other publications
Declined to endorse
- Labor unions
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2021[47]
- American Postal Workers Union Local 195[48]
- International Association of Fire Fighters Local 624[47]
- San Antonio AFL-CIO[48]
- San Antonio Police Officers Association[47]
- Organizations
- San Antonio Democratic Socialists of America[49]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[d] |
Margin of error |
Beto Altamirano |
John Courage |
Adriana Rocha Garcia |
Melissa Cabello Havrda |
Gina Ortiz Jones |
Manny Peláez |
Clayton Perry |
Rolando Pablos |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Polling (D)[50] | April 29–30, 2025 | 751 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 12% | 5% | 5% | 9% | 23% | 4% | 4% | 15% | 10%[e] | 11% |
| UT San Antonio[51] | April 7–9, 2025 | 685 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 7% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 13% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 8%[f] | 45%[g] |
| UT San Antonio[52] | February 17–20, 2025 | 683 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 4% | 8% | 3% | 4% | 9% | 6% | 3% | 1% | 7%[h] | 56%[i] |
| UT San Antonio[53] | September 11–16, 2024 | 692 (RV) | ± 3.7% | 4% | 9% | 4% | 4% | – | 5% | – | 1% | 4%[j] | 70%[k] |
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gina Ortiz Jones | 27,517 | 27.20% | |
| Rolando Pablos | 16,798 | 16.61% | |
| Beto Altamirano | 12,190 | 12.05% | |
| Adriana Rocha Garcia | 10,016 | 9.90% | |
| Manny Peláez | 7,398 | 7.31% | |
| Melissa Cabello Havdra | 6,736 | 6.66% | |
| John Courage | 5,625 | 5.56% | |
| Clayton Perry | 5,575 | 5.51% | |
| Tim Westley | 3,776 | 3.73% | |
| Robert T. Melvin | 944 | 0.93% | |
| Christopher Reyes | 552 | 0.52% | |
| Sonia Traut | 449 | 0.44% | |
| Diana Flores Uriegas | 444 | 0.44% | |
| Jade McCullough | 425 | 0.42% | |
| Brandon Gonzales | 355 | 0.35% | |
| Mauricio 'Mau' Sanchez | 337 | 0.33% | |
| Andrew Fernandez Vicencio | 303 | 0.30% | |
| Michael 'Sam' Samaniego | 302 | 0.30% | |
| Christopher Herring | 236 | 0.23% | |
| Robert Salinas | 197 | 0.19% | |
| Gerardo Zambrano | 183 | 0.18% | |
| Santos Alvarado | 164 | 0.16% | |
| James 'Jae' Melvin | 163 | 0.16% | |
| Armando Dominguez | 152 | 0.15% | |
| April Guadarrama | 149 | 0.15% | |
| Bill Ruppel | 113 | 0.11% | |
| Arturo Espinosa | 81 | 0.08% | |
| Total votes | 101,150 | 100.00% | |
Runoff
Runoff endorsements
Gina Ortiz Jones
- Federal officials
- Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025)[l][21]
- Julian Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2014–2017) and former mayor of San Antonio (2009–2014)[55]
- U.S. senators
- Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois (2017–present)[56]
- U.S. representatives
- Greg Casar, TX-35 (2023–present)[55]
- Joaquin Castro, TX-20 (2013–present)[55]
- Jason Crow, CO-6 (2019–present)[56]
- Veronica Escobar, TX-16 (2019–present)[21]
- State senators
- Roland Gutierrez, 19th district (2021–present)[57]
- Jose Menendez, 26th district (2015–present)[57]
- State representatives
- Diego Bernal, 123rd district (2015–present)[57]
- Trey Martinez Fischer, 116th district (2001–2017, 2019–present)[57]
- Josey Garcia, 124th district (2023–present)[57]
- Gene Wu, House Minority Leader (2025–present) from the 137th district (2013–present)[57]
- San Antonio officials
- Teri Castillo, 5th district (2021–present)[55]
- Phil Hardberger, former mayor of San Antonio (2005–2009)[55]
- Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, 2nd district (2021–present)[55]
- Edward Mungia, 4th district-elect (2025–present)[55]
- Phyllis Viagrán, 3rd district (2021–present)[55]
- County officials
- Rebeca Clay-Flores, Bexar County commissioner (2021–present)[57]
- Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge (2019–present)[56]
- Justin Rodriguez, Bexar County commissioner (2019–present)[57]
- Javier Salazar, Bexar County sheriff (2017–present)[55]
- Local officials
- Justin Bibb, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (2022–present)[58]
- Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania (2020–present)[58]
- Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona (2019–present)[58]
- Todd Gloria, mayor of San Diego, California (2013–2014; 2022–present)[58]
- Tim Keller, mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico (2017–present)[58]
- Satya Rhodes-Conway, mayor of Madison, Wisconsin (2019–present)[58]
- Individuals
- Amanda Zurawski, reproductive rights activist[56]
- Eric Alva, adjunct professor[56]
- Labor unions
- Amalgamated Transit Union Local 694[55]
- American Federation of Government Employees Local 1033[21]
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2021[15]
- Communications Workers of America Local 6143[m][21]
- Laborers' International Union of North America Local 28[21]
- San Antonio AFL-CIO[15]
- Organizations
- Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America[21]
- National Conference of Democratic Mayors[58]
- Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas[59]
- Political parties
- Bexar County Democratic Party[60]
Rolando Pablos
- State cabinet officials
- Hope Andrade, former Texas Secretary of State (2008–2012)[57]
- U.S. representatives
- State senators
- Donna Campbell, 25th district (2013–present)[21]
- Leticia Van de Putte, 26th district (1999–2015) (Democratic)[62]
- State representatives
- Frank Corte Jr., 122nd district (1993–2011)[57]
- John Lujan, 118th district (2016–2017; 2021–present)[57]
- Ina Minjarez, 124th district (2015–2023) (Democratic)[57]
- Leo Pacheco, 118th district (2019–2021) (Democratic)[57]
- County officials
- Grant Moody, Bexar County commissioner (2022–present)[57]
- Sylvia Romo, former Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector (1997–2012) (Democratic)[57]
- Local officials
- Marc Whyte, San Antonio city councilor from the 10th district (2023–present)[62]
- Individuals
- Robert Melvin, real estate company CEO and 2025 mayoral candidate[21]
- Labor unions
- Newspapers
- Organizations
- Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Texas[65]
- Texas and San Antonio Board of Realtors[66][57]
- San Antonio National Apartment Association[67]
Declined to endorse
- San Antonio officials
- Marina Alderete Gavito, 7th district (2023–present)[68]
- Melissa Cabello Havrda, 6th district (2019–2025) and 2025 mayoral candidate[68]
- John Courage, 9th district and 2025 mayoral candidate[68]
- Manny Peláez, 8th district (2019–2025) and 2025 mayoral candidate[68]
- Adriana Rocha Garcia, 4th district (2019–2025) and 2025 mayoral candidate[68]
- Ron Nirenberg, outgoing mayor of San Antonio (2017–2025)[69]
- Labor unions
Runoff polling
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gina Ortiz Jones | 77,587 | 54.32% | |
| Rolando Pablos | 65,245 | 45.68% | |
| Total votes | 142,832 | 100.00% | |
See also
Notes
- This union local is affiliated with both the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers.
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - "Do not remember" with 3%
- Westley with 3%
- "Don't know" with 30%; "I'm not familiar with any of the candidates running for mayor" with 15%
- Westley with 2%; Espinosa, Flores Uriegas, Pablos, and "Someone else" with 1%; Alvarado, Dominguez, Gonzales, Herring, McCullough, Robert Melvin, Reyes, Salinas, Samaniego, Sanchez, Traut, and "I would not vote in this race" with 0%
- "Don't know" with 35%; "I'm not familiar with any of the candidates running for mayor" with 21%
- "Someone else" with 3%; "I would not vote in this race" with 1%
- "I'm not familiar with any of the candidates running for mayor" with 43%; "Don't know" with 27%
- Buttigieg endorsed in the first round, but this endorsement was only reported in non-campaign sources ahead of the runoff.
- The union co-endorsed Cabello Havrda, Ortiz Jones, and Rocha Garcia in the first round, but this endorsement was only reported in non-campaign sources ahead of the runoff.
- "Do not remember" with 3%