Judge Ron Rangel, a Democrat in the 379th Criminal District Court, will start raising money for a PAC to support a potential bid for Bexar County District Attorney in 2026.
Judges in Texas must resign to run for another political office, and Rangel is currently serving a four-year judicial term that ends in 2028.
After that term is complete, he would qualify for the maximum retirement — a benefit he would forego if he chooses to resign to run for DA sooner.
“My intention was always to finish out that fifth term and run with something different,” he said in a May interview with the San Antonio Report.
While Rangel was still considering what that future might look like, last week District Attorney Joe Gonzales announced that he would not seek reelection — sending a number of potential candidates into action for what’s likely to be one of the most heated races on Bexar County’s ballot in 2026.
Gonzales, a progressive Democrat, received $1 million in help from a national justice reform PAC that helped get him elected in 2018, and his 2022 reelection race was also an expensive affair.
Republican Party of Bexar County Vice Chair Kyle Sinclair said Tuesday that at least three GOP candidates have already signaled interest in a race the party considers a top target.
“Joe was a disaster for San Antonio,” Sinclair said. “Everyone wants to feel safe in their community.”
Rangel, a Democrat, has long been viewed as a potential contender for public office outside the courthouse.
He has a podcast called “Beyond the Gavel” and maintains close relationships with the party leaders, unions and political groups that could be helpful in a high-profile race.
On Tuesday, Rangel made his interest in the DA race formal by announcing plans for an “exploratory committee” that will raise money between now and when he needs to make a decision later this year.
Filing for the March 3 primary opens Nov. 8 and runs through Dec. 8.
“Having served as a Criminal District Court Judge for the past 17 years, I have a deep understanding of our justice system,” Rangel said in a statement Tuesday. “And I know the hard work it takes to keep our community safe.”
‘Structural reform’
Under Gonzales’ tenure, the office has faced tremendous criticism for a controversial cite-and-release program, failure to address a lengthy case backlog, and top leadership’s extremely close relationship with justice reform group Wren Collective.
At the same time, the role of district attorneys in major urban centers has gotten tougher in Texas in recent years, as state leaders repeatedly sought to crack down on “rogue” DAs and remove from office those that step out of line.
Rangel said in an interview with the San Antonio Report that the way the district attorney’s office has been running was “distressing,” and that he would lean on his experience as an administrative judge to fix it.
He would not, however, engage in the same types of criminal justice reforms that Gonzales pursued.
“The type of reform that I’m talking about is structural reform — true reorganization of how the office operates,” Rangel said.
