SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg are in the final sprint for the Democratic nomination to lead county government.
In left-leaning Bexar County, the race for County Judge is primarily focused on the Democratic primary, a two-way race between the contemporaries turned rivals.
Early voting began Tuesday and runs through Feb. 27. The primary election is March 3.
The winner will face Patrick Von Dohlen, the lone Republican candidate, in the November election.
Sakai and Nirenberg overlapped for more than two years as the heads of Bexar County and San Antonio city governments, respectively.
Sakai had a celebrated history as a district court judge before winning the 2022 election against Republican Trish DeBerry.
“I have provided strong, steady, effective leadership that has focused on basic core function of county government,” Sakai told KSAT. “I don’t need any legacy issues.”
Nirenberg was forced out of the mayor’s office by term limits in June 2025, and said his time in that role equipped him with the skills to lead the county.
“We have been far too reactive,” Nirenberg told KSAT 12. “The issues that we’re debating today are the same ones that we were debating three years ago and they’re getting worse.”
When presented with Nirenberg’s statement, Sakai said “those problems were reflective of the 30 years of the predecessor commissioners’ court. I’ve tried to bring change."
One of the biggest problems facing the county is its packed jail, which resulted in the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office beginning to house inmates in other counties.
Sakai dismissed the possibility of a new jail as a “budget buster,” while Nirenberg said in a January debate that “every option needs to be on the table.”
However, both men have shown support for the idea of a diversion center.
“I don’t want a jail,” Nirenberg told KSAT. " I want a better criminal justice system."
“The reason why we’re talking about a new jail is because of the standards and conditions there that have had people languish,” Nirenberg continued. “We’ve got hundreds of people in jail that just shouldn’t be there because there’s no facility to divert them to that can provide appropriate care. That’s the reason for the diversion center.”
Sakai suggested a regional facility, which he said would require partnering with the state and rural counties.
“Let us find a regional facility that will take care of people who are mentally ill, people that are mentally incompetent, people that don’t belong in because they’re non-violent, but yet they can’t get out of our jail,” Sakai said.
Both are portraying themselves as the best candidate to work with others to tackle issues facing the county.
“I will bring solutions, I will bring experts, I’ll listen to them as I was as a judge,” Sakai said. “That’s my strong suit.”
“The buck stops with the county judge,” Nirenberg said. “That’s the purpose of that position is to be accountable to the solutions that we need as a community."
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