Democratic Veteran Clinches San Antonio Mayoral Runoff

Gina Ortiz Jones claimed victory in the San Antonio mayoral runoff race on Saturday, securing 54% of the vote in a traditionally nonpartisan election that attracted big spending from both parties.

Jones prevailed over Rolando Pablos, who had close ties to state Republican leaders, by a split of 54.3% to 45.7%, according to the San Antonio Report.

A San Antonio local, Jones rose through the ranks of the military to serve as the undersecretary of the Air Force under former President Joe Biden. She ran two unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. House against Republicans, losing out in 2018 to Rep. Will Hurd by about 1,000 votes and falling short by a wider margin two years later to Rep. Tony Gonzales.

Both candidates were running to replace outgoing mayor Ron Nirenberg, who had termed out of office after leading the hometown of the Alamo since 2017. 

The mayoral election in San Antonio traditionally has been a nonpartisan affair, and Nirenberg was elected as an independent, though last year he affirmed his affiliation with the Democratic party during the 2024 presidential race.

Last month’s election failed to produce a successor. With 27 candidates on the ballot, few voters turned out, but Jones led Pablos, the next most popular candidate, by a 10-point margin, triggering a runoff election that the city held on Saturday.

Jones and Pablos, who do not have experience in local elective office, pulled ahead of four sitting San Antonio City Council members, polarizing a race that otherwise wasn’t defined by party ties. 

The runoff attracted state and national political action committees that poured about $1.7 million dollars into the final duel, recognizing that the mayor’s office could launch the winner to higher political office. About three-quarters of that money was spent to help Pablos, according to the Report.

Democratic Party leaders were quick to praise Jones’s victory in prepared statements on Saturday.

“With her win in a heavily-Latino city, Mayor-elect Jones will continue the legacy of Mayor Nirenberg and move San Antonio forward,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, according to the Report. “From school boards to city councils to mayoral offices across the state, Texas voters are making their voice heard loud and clear: They want strong Democratic leaders who will fight for them.”

Jones and the victorious city council candidates will be the first to serve longer four-year terms before seeking reelection under new election changes that San Antonio voters approved in November.