UTSA poll: San Antonio mayoral election is wide open

Axios

04-03-2025

A majority of likely voters say they are undecided on or unfamiliar with the 27 mayoral candidates who will be on the May ballot in San Antonio, per a February poll released Tuesday.
Why it matters: The May 3 mayoral election — the first without an incumbent in 16 years — is still anyone's for the taking, the poll indicates.
How it works: The UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research polled 683 likely San Antonio voters from Feb. 17-20. It was administered in English and Spanish and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8%.
The poll is a snapshot in time, not a prediction, Bryan Gervais, UTSA associate professor of political science and CPOR director, told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday.
By the numbers: About 35% of likely voters said they are undecided, and another 20.5% said they are unfamiliar with any of the candidates, per the poll.
9% of respondents — the highest share of those who backed a specific candidate — said they were most likely to vote for Gina Ortiz Jones, former Air Force undersecretary.
8% said they were most likely to vote for District 9 Councilmember John Courage, while 5.5% said the same for District 8 Councilmember Manny Pelaez.
Four other candidates — Melissa Cabello Havrda, Beto Altamirano, Adriana Rocha Garcia and Clayton Perry — had support ranging from 3% to just under 4%.
What they're saying:"The mayor's race is still wide open," Gervais said.
"A lot of it will come down to which candidates are able to raise their profile and name recognition over the next several months."
The fine print: CPOR weighted its poll toward voters who are most likely to turn out for the mayoral election.
People who indicated they were unlikely to vote were not included.
What's next: CPOR expects to conduct another municipal election poll this spring.