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Votes
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Gina Ortiz Jones
Rolando Pablos
(182 / 182)
UPDATE AT 10 p.m.: Gina Ortiz Jones has defeated opponent Rolando Pablos with 54.3% of the vote in the runoff race for San Antonio mayor.
One hundred percent of voting locations have now reported their results.
Ortiz Jones addressed supporters at her election night party, declaring victory in the race, saying, “It was my name on the ballot. But you and I both know decency was on the ballot, kindness was on the ballot, compassion was on the ballot, and San Antonio showed up and showed out.”
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve with everybody in mind,” she said.
“When one side offered racism, we offered compassion and focused on getting things done,” she added.
Pablos momentarily addressed supporters at his watch party earlier in the night.
“I wanted to first and foremost thank everyone for all of your support, everything you’ve done for this campaign, for us. It’ll be worth it, you’ll see,” he said.
Pablos later conceded to Ortiz Jones, saying, “We tried. I want to thank everybody for your support. It was a tough race, and I’m just happy that everybody came together for this community.
Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew said there was a 17% voter turnout in this election. A total of 143,017 ballots were cast during eight days of early voting and on election day. Of those, 40,218 people voted on election day.
Ortiz Jones is a former Under Secretary of the United States Air Force who ran multiple times for Congressional District 23 as a Democrat. Pablos is a former Texas Secretary of State and Public Utility Commissioner who was appointed by Republican governors Greg Abbott and Rick Perry.
The election is nonpartisan, meaning neither candidate ran as a Republican or Democrat.
Ortiz Jones succeeds Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who has served in the city’s top spot since 2017 and cannot seek re-election due to term limits. Nirenberg said he will not make an endorsement.
This is the first time there has been an open mayoral seat in San Antonio since 2009, when Julian Castro was elected to his first term as mayor. (Nirenberg beat incumbent Mayor Ivy Taylor, who was appointed mayor when Castro was appointed to President Barack Obama’s cabinet.)
Ortiz Jones will be the first mayor to serve a four-year term in office instead of a two-year term after voters passed a city charter amendment in 2024 that changed all city council term limits from four two-year terms to two four-year terms.
BACKGROUND
The path to the runoff saw a record number of candidates, with 27 vying for the open mayor seat. However, there was low voter turnout, with 116,604 ballots cast out of 1,258,413 registered voters.
The May 3 general election, which coincided with the Fiesta Flambeau Parade, saw Ortiz Jones as the top vote-getter, with 27% of the vote, 10 percentage points ahead of Pablos, the second-place finisher.
But that was not enough to win the seat outright. To do that, Jones would have needed more than 50% of the vote.
Since that first Saturday in May, both Ortiz Jones’ and Pablo’s campaigns have been gathering support, raising money and squaring off in several debates in their efforts to win.
>> WATCH: KSAT hosts debate between mayoral runoff candidates Gina Ortiz Jones, Rolando Pablos
Those debates have not been exceptional in content or revelations. But there has been controversy. The Pablos campaign accused Jones of using her cell phone during a taped debate that was to be aired on Univision.
The rules of the debate prohibited the use of cell phones, which Pablos was seen pointing out to moderators during the encounter. His campaign issued press releases claiming foul play.
The two candidates ultimately faced each other in the only prime-time live debate on KSAT on May 21, moderated by Steve Spriester, in front of an audience that included members of the G.I. Forum and the League of Women Voters. The candidates answered questions from a panel of Trinity professors and KSAT’s Myra Arthur.
The only face-off left that matters is on June 7. No Fiesta, no other significant events to distract San Antonians from choosing the person who will be mayor for four years.
As for the other candidates who didn’t make the runoff, voters leaned toward City Hall outsiders, including Jones, Pablos and Beto Altamirano, ahead of current and former council members.
District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who still had two years of eligibility on the council, came in fourth in the mayoral contest, just ahead of District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez.
District 6’s Melissa Cabello Havrda, who still had two years of eligibility, came in sixth ahead of District 9’s John Courage, who, like Pelaez, had reached the end of his eligibility to serve on the council.
Rounding out the top eight was former District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, who returned to city politics after opting not to seek re-election in 2023 following a drunk-driving scandal.
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