Helen Petry Stowe
Helen Petry Stowe (Democratic Party) is a judge for Number 1 of the Bexar County Court of Law in Texas. She assumed office on January 1, 2019. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Stowe (Democratic Party) is running for re-election for the Number 1 judge of the Bexar County Court of Law in Texas. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Helen Stowe was born and lives in San Antonio. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1999 and a J.D. degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 2007.
Stowe's career experience includes working as an English teacher at S.J. Davis Middle School and as an assistant district attorney at the Bexar County District Attorney's Office.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Bexar County, Texas (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Incumbent Helen Petry Stowe (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Helen Petry Stowe | |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Bob Behrens (R) is running in the Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Bob Behrens | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: Municipal elections in Bexar County, Texas (2022)
General election
General election for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Incumbent Helen Petry Stowe defeated Bob Behrens in the general election for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Petry Stowe (D) | 57.2 | 297,053 |
| Bob Behrens (R) | 42.8 | 222,279 | ||
| Total votes: 519,332 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Incumbent Helen Petry Stowe defeated Rene Muñoz in the Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Petry Stowe | 52.0 | 44,555 |
| Rene Muñoz | 48.0 | 41,066 | ||
| Total votes: 85,621 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Bob Behrens advanced from the Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bob Behrens | 100.0 | 65,362 | |
| Total votes: 65,362 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Helen Petry Stowe defeated John D. Fleming in the general election for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Petry Stowe (D) | 58.4 | 311,642 |
 | John D. Fleming (R) | 41.6 | 221,553 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 533,197 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Helen Petry Stowe defeated Tony Jimenez III in the Democratic primary runoff for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Helen Petry Stowe | 52.9 | 17,440 |
 | Tony Jimenez III | 47.1 | 15,520 | |
| Total votes: 32,960 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
Tony Jimenez III and Helen Petry Stowe advanced to a runoff. They defeated Jerry Kagan in the Democratic primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Jimenez III | 45.9 | 34,762 |
| ✔ | | Helen Petry Stowe | 42.9 | 32,480 |
| Jerry Kagan | 11.1 | 8,431 | ||
| Total votes: 75,673 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1
John D. Fleming advanced from the Republican primary for Bexar County Court at Law No. 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John D. Fleming | 100.0 | 49,959 |
| Total votes: 49,959 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Petry Stow was endorsed in the election by San Antonio Express News, the Northeast Bexar County Democrats, the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio, Bexar County Tejano Democrats—SD 19 Chapter, and Mexican American Democrats of Texas ONDA Chapters of Bexar County and the Great South West.[2]
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the county courts are elected in partisan elections by the county they serve and serve four-year terms, with vacancies filled by a vote of the county commissioners.[3]
Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[3]
- be at least 25 years old;
- be a resident of his or her respective county for at least two years; and
- have practiced law or served as a judge for at least four years preceding the election.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2022
Helen Petry Stowe completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stowe's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- This is my 15th year practicing criminal law, and I bring an incredible amount of legal experience to my bench in County Court 1. I was an assistant DA for over ten years and had the opportunity to try a great many jury trials and bench trials, and during that time I penned dozens of appellate briefs and writs. I have done extensive work with family violence cases, juvenile cases, mental health cases, intoxicated driving cases, and post-conviction cases. My trial and appellate experience give me great confidence in my rulings.
- I am the judge of a Specialty Court that serves the community by providing intensive probation for people with multiple DWI arrests. This Specialty Court is called TRAC-D and it is committed to address the root of the problem for people who struggle with maintaining sobriety. Our goal is to help them to overcome their addiction. This past spring my specialty court team was honored by the Texas Center of the Judiciary with the 2022 Spotlight on Success Award. This award recognizes an entire court team that has been extraordinarily successful in implementing the DWI Court guiding principles.
- Presiding over County Court 1 has been a tremendous honor. I am mindful of the fact that voters have given me the privilege of serving as judge. My life experience as a young single mom who worked her way up, taking care of a child, waiting tables, and going to school gives me a lot of insight in my rulings. I understand struggle and grief and hard work and perseverance. I bring a strong work ethic to this job and strive to do my best.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
