Democrat Ron Nirenberg fended off Republican Patrick Von Dohlen in the Bexar County Judge race Tuesday night. 

“My name is Ron Nirenberg, and I am honored to be your next Bexar County Judge,” he told supporters at an election night party at Backyard on Broadway.

The two men were on opposite sides of many issues during Nirenberg’s eight years as the mayor of San Antonio, including legal fights over whether to allow Chick-fil-A in the San Antonio International Airport, funding for the city’s first Advanced Rapid Transit bus lines and a controversial reproductive health fund.

After terming out as mayor last year, Nirenberg raised eyebrows by launching a Texans for Ron Nirenberg PAC, writing a political memoir and reportedly considered a gubernatorial bid. 

With few viable paths to higher office, however, the politically ambitious Texas Democrat chose to pursue the county’s top leadership role, once held by his political mentor Nelson Wolff. 

To do so, he first defeated incumbent Peter Sakai by a nearly 25-point margin in the Democratic primary, and has laid out a vision for taking county government beyond its traditional roles of running the court system, the jail and emergency response services.

After the first wave of results were counted, Nirenberg leads with 67.7% of the early vote. Vote totals currently are 343,938 for Nirenberg and 163,354 for Patrick Von Dohlen.

“Most people think, Bexar County, all they do is provide your tax bill and a jury summons. But I want you to expect more,” Nirenberg said at an Oct. 15 debate hosted by the San Antonio Report. 

Nirenberg says his first priorities in office will be tackling public health and safety, including issues at Bexar County Jail, and infrastructure needs throughout the county.

“First priority is public safety. We know the symptoms of the problem are evident in the jail, but we need to make sure that we’re increasing access to mental healthcare,” he said. “We also know that we are one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, and have been for a long time. We need to be proactive about that growth.”

Von Dohlen, who said he was running to stop his old foe, conceded Tuesday night.

“Based on the early vote totals and the number of ballots still expected on Election Day, the math does not allow for a path to victory. I congratulate Ron Nirenberg on his win and thank every Bexar County voter who took part in this election,” Von Dohlen said.

While declaring victory earlier on Tuesday night, Nirenberg noted early results statewide that favored other Democrats. He said those would help Bexar County push forward some of his priorities, but urged unity.

“The people of Texas have entrusted us with the responsibility of governing, and so this is where Bexar County must lead, to show how each and every one of us can come together, and show how we can move our communities forward together,” he said. “The tent grows bigger, not smaller. We govern for everyone.”

Bexar County Commissioners

When he’s sworn in on Jan. 1, Nirenberg will lead a five-person Commissioners Court made up of incumbents. 

Justin Rodriguez (Pct. 2) and Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4), the only other commissioners up for reelection this year, appear to be headed toward reelection. As of Tuesday night, Rodriguez led his race with 73% of the vote. Calvert led his race with 81% of the vote.

Rodriguez, a Democrat, has represented Precinct 2 on the county’s West Side since 2019, when then-Judge Nelson Wolff appointed him to replace the late Commissioner Paul Elizondo. He then won a special election in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2022.

He faced Republican challenger David Sherwood Hill, a political newcomer.

Calvert, a Democrat, has represented the East Side precinct since 2014 and is the court’s longest-serving member. He didn’t draw a Republican opponent this year, and instead he faces a challenge from an independent candidate, Roy Anthony II, who ran for San Antonio City Council last year.

The other two seats on the court, held by Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1) and Grant Moody (Pct. 3), were not up for election this year.

The group will have to navigate Bexar County’s place in local large-scale projects — a new downtown arena for the Spurs, revitalizing the Frost Bank Center and flood infrastructure needs — while navigating a fiscal cliff.

Calvert was confident that adding Nirenberg to the Commissioners Court would help Bexar County tackle those.

“Ron understands the shot clock of a four-year term, and we’ll work to get more projects done and be more responsive to the challenges that we’re going to face going forward,” he said on election night.

COVID-19 relief funds and property tax dollars are drying up across the state and Bexar County is no exception — this year’s budget process divided the Sakai-led Commissioners Court. 

Calvert and Nirenberg said the commissioners were prepared to examine budgets in greater depth, but hoped that if Democrats won state offices in Austin, it would open more opportunities to solve local issues.

“We work with them in partnership, and if they are doing their jobs and we’re doing our jobs, mountains can be moved with respect to access to all of those services,” Nirenberg said. “That’s what I’m excited about.”