Former Air Force Undersecretary Gina Ortiz Jones handily defeated her Republican opponent in a runoff this weekend for mayor of San Antonio, TX.
Jones served under the Biden administration and twice ran unsuccessfully in close races for Congress. She defeated former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos 54-46%.
She is the first openly gay member of the LGBTQ community to win the city’s mayor’s race, the first Filipina and only third women.
She succeeds Ron Nirenberg whose father is mixed Filipino, Malaysian, Indian and British and mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent from Poland and Russia.
“There’s a lot going on the state level, a lot going on the federal level, but we here are in San Antonio — deep in the heart of Texas — reminded folks what San Antonio stands for,” the San Antonio Current reported Jones said at her victory party. “We reminded them that our city is about compassion and it’s about leading with everybody in mind.”
The mayor’s race in San Antonio is a non-partisan race, but the Republican and Democratic PACS poured tons of money into the race with the candidates spending a combined $1.7 million at the last reporting date of May 28, reported the Texas Tribune.
“We tried,” said Pablos to KSAT. “I want to thank everybody for your support. It was a tough race, and I’m just happy that everybody came together for this community,” he said
“With her win in a heavily Latino-city, Mayor-elect Jones will continue the legacy of Mayor Nirenberg and move San Antonio forward,” said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin. “From school boards to city councils to mayoral offices across the state, Texas voters are making their voice heard loud and clear.”
