San Antonio mayor election results: Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos lead
Candidates Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos are leading San Antonio's mayoral race, according to unofficial early vote results posted Saturday.
Why it matters: San Antonio voters had 27 candidates to choose from on the ballot, all vying in the city's first open mayoral race in 16 years.
Early results show voters opted for City Hall outsiders with strong fundraising and spending over longtime councilmembers.
The intrigue: The city has not elected a mayor who didn't serve on the council since 2005, when voters chose Phil Hardberger over then-District 7 Councilmember Julián Castro. (Castro wouldn't become mayor until 2009.)
Catch up quick: Mayor Ron Nirenberg reached his term limits after eight years in office, making him the city's longest-serving mayor since Henry Cisneros in the 1980s.
San Antonio's next mayor will serve for four years after voters approved increasing term length from two years. They will work alongside at least four new city councilmembers.
There won't be another City Council election until 2029.
The latest: As of 7:40pm, results showed top candidates earning:
Gina Ortiz Jones: 26.54%
Rolando Pablos: 15.27%
Beto Altamirano: 12.42%
Adriana Rocha Garcia: 10.36%
Manny Pelaez: 7.86%
Melissa Cabello Havrda: 6.44%
John Courage: 6.36%
Clayton Perry: 5.85%
Zoom in: Ortiz Jones is a former Air Force undersecretary who was twice the Democratic nominee for the 23rd Congressional District.
Pablos is a former Texas secretary of state who has also served as a senior adviser to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The big picture: The new mayor will lead San Antonio at a pivotal time, as officials are looking to gain public support for a new downtown Spurs arena that could be surrounded by a sports and entertainment district.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz endorses Sean Ryan for Buffalo mayor
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz endorsed Sean Ryan for Buffalo mayor on Tuesday morning, joining a list of politicians endorsing the state senator. Poloncarz has served as Erie County Executive since 2012. He said he endorsed Ryan due to his belief in Ryan's ability to fix the city's budget issues and develop the city economically. The endorsement comes on the morning of the first mayoral debate, which will be hosted by WIVB News 4 on-air, online, and on the WIVB+ app. Preview: Buffalo mayoral candidates to face off in debate Tuesday night 'I just feel it's that important,' Poloncarz said. 'This is my last term as county executive and as I said, you cannot have a strong county unless you have a strong City of Buffalo.' Poloncarz compared the city's current budget issues to the red-green fiscal crisis of 2005 under then-County Executive Joel Giambra. He also lauded his belief in Ryan to fairly negotiate and do what is best for residents. Poloncarz joined State Senator April Baskin and Assemblyman Jon Rivera as the most notable local politician endorsements for Ryan to become the next mayor. Ryan has also been endorsed by the Erie County Democratic Committee. 'I'm a City of Buffalo resident. Not everybody lives in the City of Buffalo,' Poloncarz said, 'but I think you see the residents who live in the City of Buffalo, the elected officials are making their choice. And there are four other candidates in the race for the Democratic primary. And I just think we need a new leader who's got the proven experience through what he's done.' Ryan added that he does not have the intention of running an independent campaign if he loses the June 24 primary. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon and former Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, who are both in the Democratic primary, have filed with the Erie County Board of Elections to run independent campaigns should they lose. The five Democratic primary candidates for Buffalo mayor are set to debate at D'Youville University's Kavinoky Theatre on Tuesday night, hosted by WIVB News 4. To find more information, including how to watch, click here. Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19 minutes ago
- The Hill
Judge extends pause of order invalidating Trump's tariffs
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., extended a pause of his order invalidating the bulk of President Trump's tariffs until an appeals court can resolve the case. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras had already agreed to put his ruling on hold for two weeks when he issued it, but Tuesday's extension lasts indefinitely until the appeals court rules. It's the latest development in what has been a whirlwind week for the legal battle surrounding Trump's tariffs. Two federal courts found Trump's use of an emergency law to justify tariffs unlawful, but neither ruling is currently in effect. In response to a lawsuit filed by two education businesses, Contreras on Thursday invalidated Trump's reciprocal 'Liberation Day' tariffs and those he recently imposed on China that cited fentanyl trafficking. The ruling landed hours after the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked those tariffs and ones Trump imposed on Canada and Mexico. That ruling came in response to suits filed by another group of businesses and a coalition of Democratic-led states. The Trump administration quickly brought the legal battle to the appeals courts and asked to immediately halt the injunctions, warning that allowing them to take effect would curtail Trump's leverage to make trade deals with other countries. The two appeals are taking place in separate courts. In the case decided by the trade court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit quickly agreed to pause the ruling until the next stage of the appeal. Contreras's ruling heads to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which has not yet intervened. But noting the Federal Circuit's pause, Contreras went ahead and put his decision on hold indefinitely. 'The Court acknowledged the national security and foreign policy concerns raised by Defendants but determined that those consequences would flow, if at all, from the' trade court's order, Contreras wrote. 'That order has now been stayed by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. A stay in this action is therefore appropriate to protect the President's ability to identify and respond to threats to the U.S. economy and national security,' Contreras, an appointee of former President Obama, continued. The cases are just some of the legal challenges to Trump's tariffs. But federal judges in California, Montana and Florida have declined to consider other lawsuits filed in their courts, telling plaintiffs they instead need to bring their case before the trade court. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Corley, an appointee of former President Biden who serves in San Francisco, did so on Tuesday and dismissed a lawsuit filed by California and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mayor Brandon Johnson ‘hopeful' on Springfield transit deal before CTA fiscal cliff
As the dust settles on Springfield lawmakers punting the issue of CTA's looming fiscal cliff, Mayor Brandon Johnson has a message: keep the faith. The mayor in his weekly City Hall news conference Tuesday reacted to the local alarm over the Illinois General Assembly adjourning this weekend without a solution to the estimated $771 million budget gap for Chicago area transit agencies with a measured, though at times defensive, tone. He again argued the 'resources are there' to bail out the CTA while acknowledging time is running out for state legislators to act. 'I'm going to always remain hopeful and confident that we can get a deal done that works for the people of Chicago,' the mayor told reporters. Illinois lawmakers concluded their spring session on Sunday after passing a $55 billion budget for the next fiscal year but without shoring up much-needed revenue for the transit budget gap. Though state legislators still have time to work out a solution before that shortfall comes home to roost next year, transit advocates expressed disappointment at how negotiations fell apart despite years of warnings about the fiscal conundrum. Some pointed the finger at the mayor. North Side Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, rattled off a long list of what he said were transit-related missteps for which Johnson wears the hat. Vasquez noted the mayor resisted earlier calls to fire ex-CTA president Dorval Carter, has yet to pick Carter's replacement and has made controversial pastor appointments to the local transit board. 'All those things lead to less and less confidence, and it all speaks to the leadership that was there at the time, which was Dorval and was Johnson,' Vasquez said. '(That) actually makes it harder to have the conversation about funding, which is why it became such a governance conversation.' Johnson on Tuesday dismissed the idea that his leadership choices hampered the CTA's cause in Springfield. 'It's a poor analysis,' the mayor said. Frustrated with the surfeit of CTA service complaints over the last few years, Springfield leaders heading the transit bill discussions this spring session adopted a 'no funding without reform' message. Led by Illinois Senate transportation committee chair Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat, the refrain reflected how state lawmakers were hard-pressed to bail out the transit agency with Carter still in charge and were mulling whether to reduce the mayor's influence over local transit governance structure. Johnson in January likened that attitude to holding Chicago 'hostage,' though Carter would announce his retirement later that month. The mayor has said his office undertook a national search for Carter's permanent successor, but it's not clear exactly what that search entailed and it appears to have fallen short. Johnson's chief operating officer John Roberson was floated this spring, but the potential appointment was met with pushback from local transit advocates who demanded a more open search process. Three members of the CTA board said last month they also supported a more thorough search, signaling potential further opposition to Johnson's plans. The mayor reiterated Tuesday that he has not yet picked the next CTA president and did not answer a question on whether he will make that decision before Springfield finalizes its transit package. State rep. Kam Buckner, one of the budget negotiators in the Illinois House, was more measured in his feedback, which hinged on the belief that Johnson didn't fully utilize the bully pulpit of the mayor's office to call attention to the urgency for CTA riders. 'I'm not sure why it wasn't as important to the (Johnson) administration, but the good thing about where we are right now is there's a chance to reset,' Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, said. 'Chicago has to decide whether or not they're going to let transit reform happen with them or happen to them. … I do want the mayor's office to be more present in these conversations.' Johnson did not betray a position on the specifics of the delivery tax or the governance changes in the transit proposal that fell apart in the House this weekend. He instead focused on saying the state needs to tax the 'ultra-rich.' 'I don't think anybody will speculate over my belief of where the revenue should come from,' the mayor said when asked if he needs to show a more visible presence in Springfield when it comes to revenue talks. To be clear, in the often-evolving, last-minute nature of Springfield dealmaking, lawmakers are certainly used to running up against the clock. And the COVID-19 stimulus funds that kept these Chicago area agencies afloat don't expire until the end of this year. Still, the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees CTA, Metra and Pace, has warned of a 40% reduction in transit service, with some rail lines and bus routes eliminated entirely, should the agencies indeed tumble over the edge of the fiscal cliff. Any legislation passed after May 31 that would take effect before June 2026 would also need a three-fifths majority in both chambers, too. Meanwhile, Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that his office was not leading the charge of transit reforms and funding solutions but he thinks there needs to be significant work in the summer and fall to get them passed. He also took a jab at the RTA for a $750,000 advertising effort to implore lawmakers to set more money aside for mass transit. 'I also would say that they'd have more money in their coffers if they hadn't spent money advertising here in Springfield to try to convince people of something that they really should be leaving to the legislators to decide,' the governor said during a news conference at the State Capitol. In a Tuesday statement, RTA spokesperson Tina Fassett Smith referenced her comments last month that the goal of the campaign was to raise awareness and 'motivate people to contact their legislators about the positive impact transit has on their lives and communities, and why it needs to be sustainably funded.' 'Taking this from the eleventh hour to what's going to feel like 11:45 p.m. is frustrating,' Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said. 'It makes me really anxious, how close to the cliff it seems like we're going to take this … I hope that (Johnson) recognizes how mission-critical this is to the health in the city.' The Senate this weekend narrowly approved Villivalam's proposal to both overhaul governance and increase funding for Chicago-area mass transit. The plan included a $1.50 fee on retail deliveries including food, which replaced an earlier proposal to increase tolls on Chicago-area toll roads. But the House adjourned without taking up the measure, amid swift opposition from business groups. Villivalam didn't betray any regret on Monday, however. 'From the beginning, we have said there will be no funding without reform,' he wrote in a statement that vowed to 'get this package of reforms and funding across the finish line.' Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch told reporters Tuesday that beyond his caucus' trepidation over the taxes piece, 'there's still some disagreement on what … that governance board would look like.' 'We said from day one throughout the entire process that we wanted to make sure reform came before funding,' Welch said. 'We cannot ask taxpayers to put money into a failing system.' Vasquez, also vice chair of City Council Transportation Committee, said he plans to drive home the high stakes during the next quarterly CTA leadership hearing at the end of this month. But he wasn't fully convinced the mayor should have taken a more visible role in lobbying state lawmakers on transit. 'I don't know, and it's actually pretty unfortunate that we don't know, if it would have had a worse effect,' Vasquez said. The Tribune's Talia Soglin contributed reporting.
