Gina Ortiz Jones Wins San Antonio Mayoral Election
Gina Ortiz Jones, a former civil servant in the Biden administration, has emerged victorious in the San Antonio mayoral election, overcoming challenges from Republican candidates who aimed to halt the controversial decision-making desk project.
In this officially nonpartisan election, Jones, a registered Democrat, faced off against Rolando Pablos, a former Texas Secretary of State and registered Republican.
Both candidates made it through the initial round of voting, where several others were also competing. In the previous month, no candidate secured a majority, leading to a runoff between the top two performers.
San Antonio hasn’t elected a Republican mayor in over two decades. Ron Nirenberg, who has held the office since 2017, is unable to run again due to term limits after serving two consecutive terms.
The GOP had hoped to claim a win with Pablos, who served as Secretary of State under Governor Greg Abbott for about two years. After making some gains in the city during the recent presidential elections, the party was optimistic, although the city still leans Democratic.
Despite Pablos having a notable fundraising advantage—outpacing Jones nearly 1.5 to 1—external spending from political action committees (PACs) favored him significantly more, with contributions from entities linked to Abbott and the San Antonio Police Union.
Interestingly, Pablos received an endorsement from the San Antonio Express News editorial board, which is somewhat atypical for Republican candidates in the area.
Nonetheless, Jones maintained her popularity in predominantly Democratic circles, even with the GOP making inroads among Hispanic voters. She finished the initial voting round in May with 27.2% of the votes, compared to Pablos’s 16.6%.
Previously, Jones served as the executive director of the Air Force during the Biden administration from 2021 to 2023. She also ran for the House of Representatives in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District in 2018 and 2020.
Jones will be San Antonio’s third female mayor and the first to serve a four-year term, following voter approval in November to extend the mayor’s term. Additionally, she will be the city’s first openly lesbian mayor.
