Two years after voters sent two Democratic Socialists to the dais, San Antonio’s City Council races are shaping up very differently.
Neighborhood leaders’ opposition to a police reform proposal known as Proposition A has caused an outpouring of candidate support for increased crime and safety measures, even in some of the city’s most progressive council districts.
Meanwhile, millions of dollars worth of ads urging residents to reject the proposed charter amendment have drawn out more conservative voters than recent municipal elections, including many who know little about the council races.
Those dynamics are on full display in the mayor’s race, where Ron Nirenberg is teaming up with business and law enforcement to oppose the measure in his otherwise sleepy reelection race.
Meanwhile, several of the City Council’s new progressive members face simmering challenges that could heat up if they’re pushed to a runoff, and the business community has poured money behind their chosen candidates in a pair of open races.
Early voting concluded Tuesday, but there’s still one more chance to make your voice heard, on May 6. (Find your council district here, a sample ballot here and a polling location here.)
When the polls close at 7 p.m. Saturday, here are the six races the San Antonio Report staff will be watching closely.
Mayor: Nirenberg plays the hits in reelection race
Nine candidates are running for mayor this year, but Nirenberg’s bid for a fourth and final term lacks the type of high-profile challenger he faced in previous years, when he leaned on progressives to defeat an opponent backed by the police union.
This year, Nirenberg is back in good standing with the business community, whose respect he regained during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is helping law enforcement with their top priority of defeating Proposition A.
That’s helped him raise big money for a race that’s not viewed as competitive. As of Jan. 1 Nirenberg had spent nearly $500,000 on his reelection, including almost $50,000 on polling in January.
He’s spent recent weeks advocating for more police officers — a theme of his earlier campaigns. He’s also talked about doing away with the city’s spending cap for law enforcement — a rule he strongly supported in the past. Nirenberg is also once again campaigning on the city’s North Side, a practice aides say was discontinued amid disagreements with conservatives in 2019.
Nirenberg’s best-funded challenger this year is 33-year-old Christopher Schuchardt, a first-time candidate who owns his own trucking company. Schuchardt is campaigning on a public safety platform, and put $150,000 of his own money into the race.
District 1: Downtown district unmoved by Bravo’s woes
Environmental activist Mario Bravo (D1) is seeking a second term months after receiving a vote of no confidence from colleagues for berating a former romantic partner on the council.
The incident may have drawn opponents to his race, but it hasn’t cost him much support among the neighborhood leaders who helped fuel his 2021 upset over Roberto Treviño, and it hasn’t hurt his ability to raise money.
Bravo posted a major fundraising haul in December after the censure. This week, a new campaign finance report shows Bravo spent almost $50,000 of that money in the past month, mostly on mail ads from Austin-based MAP Political Communication, which also runs Nirenberg’s campaign.
Bravo is up against six opponents. Of those, Sukh Kaur, who owns an education nonprofit, and marketing executive Jeremy Roberts have raised significant money.
Kaur has the endorsement of former Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, but has struggled to court progressives who don’t like her company’s work with charter schools. Her most recent report showed she’s receiving help from the Charter Schools Now PAC.
Roberts is attempting to fuel a campaign around neighborhood leaders’ frustration with policing and construction delays. He opposes Proposition A and has the endorsement of the police union, while Bravo has declined to take a position.
District 2: Progressive McKee-Rodriguez faces critics
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) came in on a progressive wave in 2021, making history as the first openly gay Black man elected to office in Texas.
Though McKee-Rodriguez was named a top target of developers and business leaders headed into his first reelection race, so far none of the nine candidates running against him have inspired their confidence.
That could change if he’s forced to a June 10 runoff. Several opponents are attacking his plan to stop horse-drawn carriages from operating downtown as anti-business, a nod to the interests that could support them later.
McKee-Rodriguez’s cautious approach to development and penchant for speaking his mind hasn’t earned him many deep-pocketed supporters. He’s among the council’s lowest fundraisers, and reported roughly $13,000 on hand as of April 26.
He has the backing of the Texas Organizing Project, which brings a formidable ground game, and he is once again receiving help from the Democratic Socialists of America.
District 7: Fresh talent for a springboard seat
Ana Sandoval’s decision to step down in January opened up a position that’s launched many recent council members to higher office, including Ed Garza, Justin Rodriguez and Julián Castro.
Of the five candidates running to replace her, all oppose Proposition A and none share all of Sandoval’s progressive values. Former tech executive Marina Alderete Gavito and former Thunderbird Hills Neighborhood Association President Dan Rossiter each have long resumes of service on city panels where future leaders typically cut their teeth.
Marriage and family therapist Sandragrace Martinez made an impressive showing in a 2022 runoff for the Democratic nomination for Texas Land Commissioner, and Jacob Chapa, a UTSA senior, has the backing of the Republican Party of Bexar County.
Gavito has the backing of the business community and raised more money than most council incumbents in the past five months.
Reports covering March 27 through April 26 indicate Gavito sucked the oxygen out of the rest of the field’s fundraising. She brought in about $25,000 while no one else exceeded triple digits. (Martinez beat an even bigger deficit in 2022, finishing first in the Land Commissioner primary, which included a self-funding King Ranch scion. )
Gavito had $25,000 on hand for a potential runoff.
District 9: Prop A rocks Courage’s reelection bid
John Courage (D9) has faced many tough races, and seemed like a shoo-in for a fourth and final term. This race came onto our radar during early voting, however, when District 9 experienced a surge of voters turning out to oppose Proposition A.
Courage is against the proposal, as noted prominently on his campaign material. He’s also run for office before as a Democrat, and represents the only council district that gave Gov. Greg Abbott its support in the midterm.
Some strategists say the backlash against Proposition A could ultimately hurt candidates like Courage, who also need the support of Democratic voters, who haven’t turned out in the same numbers as past years.
Courage is up against three opponents, including former Johnson High School band director Jarrett Lipman, who has the backing of the Republican Party of Bexar County and has raised competitive campaign funds.
Missing from the District 9 race this year is the police union, which backed Courage’s opponent when he was pushed to a runoff in 2021. Should the same thing happen this year, outside groups might take a second look at Courage’s opponent.
District 10: Replacing the council’s only conservative
Neighborhood leaders, Republican office holders and business groups are all lined up behind business attorney Marc Whyte in the race to replace Clayton Perry, who was recently sentenced to deferred adjudication after a November hit-and-run car crash.
Perry, the council’s only conservative voice, gave his support to Whyte, a former Republican state House candidate.
Labor unions want to give Whyte a fight in a district that supported Democrat Beto O’Rourke for governor in November. They’ve lined up behind bike activist Bryan Martin, in a field of seven candidates with widely varying political experience.
Whyte has spent more than $100,000 on his race — far more than any other council candidate this election cycle. He’s also kept some cash for a potential runoff, reporting $71,000 on hand as of April 26.
