Jason Mata

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jason Mata Sr.

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 1, 2021

Personal

Birthplace

San Antonio, Texas

Religion

Christian

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Jason Mata Sr. ran for election to the San Antonio City Council to represent District 5 in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 1, 2021.

Biography

Mata grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He attended ITT Technical Institute. His professional experience includes working for 20 years in the nonprofit sector in administrative and management, 15 years with at-risk youth, 10 years in business management, five years running a construction company, and three years as a licensed contractor.

Organizations

As of his 2020 campaign, Mata was affiliated with the following organizations:

• Haven for Hope (former executive board member)
• Westside Development Corporation (former executive board member)
• The Advocates Social Services (Executive Director)
• Prospect Hill Neighborhood Association (Director)
• Advocates Boxing Youth Program (Executive Director)

Elections

2021

See also: City elections in San Antonio, Texas (2021)

General runoff election

General runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 5

Teri Castillo defeated Rudy Lopez in the general runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 5 on June 5, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Teri Castillo (Nonpartisan)	57.5	2,497
	Submit photo	Rudy Lopez (Nonpartisan)	42.5	1,845

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,342
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for San Antonio City Council District 5

The following candidates ran in the general election for San Antonio City Council District 5 on May 1, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Teri Castillo (Nonpartisan)	30.7	2,077
✔	Submit photo	Rudy Lopez (Nonpartisan)	14.6	991
	Submit photo	Anthony Gres (Nonpartisan)	11.1	754
	Submit photo	Norberto Landin (Nonpartisan)	11.1	754
	Submit photo	Irma Barron (Nonpartisan)	7.2	487
	Submit photo	Ricardo Moreno (Nonpartisan)	6.6	446
	Submit photo	Marie Crabb (Nonpartisan)	4.8	326
	Submit photo	Ray Garza (Nonpartisan)	4.3	294
		Jason Mata Sr. (Nonpartisan)	4.2	283
	Submit photo	David Yanez (Nonpartisan)	3.4	232
		Jesse Alaniz (Nonpartisan)	1.8	125

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,769
= 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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2020

See also: Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2020

Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

Texas' 35th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Texas District 35

Incumbent Lloyd Doggett defeated Jenny Garcia Sharon, Mark Loewe, and Jason Mata Sr. in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 35 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lloyd Doggett (D)	65.4	176,373
		Jenny Garcia Sharon (R)	29.9	80,795
		Mark Loewe (L)	2.7	7,393
		Jason Mata Sr. (Independent)	1.9	5,236

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 269,797
= 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 runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35

Jenny Garcia Sharon defeated William Hayward in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 35 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Garcia Sharon	53.2	4,138
		William Hayward	46.8	3,645

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,783
= 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 U.S. House Texas District 35

Incumbent Lloyd Doggett defeated Rafael Alcoser III in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lloyd Doggett	73.0	51,169
		Rafael Alcoser III	27.0	18,922

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,091
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Andrew Daly (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35

Jenny Garcia Sharon and William Hayward advanced to a runoff. They defeated Nick Moutos in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jenny Garcia Sharon	37.1	6,751
✔		William Hayward	34.3	6,237
		Nick Moutos	28.6	5,200

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,188
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tony Gonzales (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 35

Mark Loewe advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Texas District 35 on March 21, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Mark Loewe (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Campaign themes

2021

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jason Mata Sr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Jason Mata Sr. completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mata's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My family and I come from a diverse background and have endured many adverse life situations. But through a strong family bond we have overcame every obstacle together. I would like to bring my experience as a grass roots community leader and mentor, strong work ethic, Integrity, and putting people first attitude to our congressional seat.

I have over 20 years of experience working in the Non-Profit sector and 4 years of experience in running my own construction company.

I served as an Executive Director for 3 non-profits for the past 10 years and worked as a family case manager in my prior years. The community work involved mentoring At-Risk youth and case management services for low income and working poor families. Community organizing was also part of the scope of work and involved communicating issues and concerns to local governments, intervention, and oversight to ensure that the concerns were resolved. Most of the community work directly benefited homeowners, working middle class, business owner and other community residents.

I have served in numerous executive boards including the Haven For Hope, San Antonio Westside Development Corporation, several task force groups and other community related associations.

I am seeking the office of Congressional District 35 because I know that I can provide a new and fresh voice that only has close ties but can relate to many of the issues that we face, not only in our congressional district, but as a Nation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Fighting for Security, Youth, and Families
• Fiscally, Socially, and Morally Responsible
• Demanding Respect

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Youth Development

Military Protection and Stability
Medical Coverage for all

Affordable Education

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father Charlie Mata was a radical and controversial figure that I admire for his selfless acts to
help the poor and needy of South Texas.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Stand in Deliver

Spare Parts

Lean on Me

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official should be open to new ideas and have a good listening ear.

The elected official should be proactive when addressing immediate needs and
be able to allow for progress when addressing issues that are not as immediate.

The elected official should always be open to communication with his/her constituency
and communicate developments periodically as needed.

Elected officials are often at their best if they have some sense of sympathy or empathy or if they

have first hand experience of what most of their constituency face daily.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The qualities that I possess that I feel will make me a successful officeholder is that I am a very honest and straight forward person who has natural leadership skills. I am an extremely hard worker and have a passion to help and protect all young people. I believe that an investment in youth is an investment in our youth is an investment in ourselves and in our community as a whole.

I believe in completing the task at hand and am willing to go the extra miles to accomplish it.

Am also a fighter by nature and not afraid to try new initiatives.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of an elected official is to keep the best interest of their constituency at all times when they are voting on or implementing initiatives.

The elected official should be able to work in a bi-partisan manner to accomplish this if needed.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy that I would like to leave is one that positively impacts the lives of many young lives of Congressional District 35.

I would like to increase the number of high school graduates and increase participation in local colleges and Universities. I would like to have in place many opportunities for young people to learn job skills access to affordable vocational and trade training and job placement.

In addition to creating more opportunities for young people for higher education and in the workforce, I would like to leave a legacy of a stronger armed forces that pays our servicemen and women fairly. Our military will be at the same level of choice when young people are making life and career decisions.

I would also work to ensure that every young person is treated equally regardless of any disability or short coming He/She may have.

By increasing and prioritizing participation on higher education and access to skills training, I will also leave a legacy of increasing the economic standing and quality of living for the constituency of District 35.

To accomplish this I will directly with school districts, local municipalities, state workforce agencies, non-profit organizations, and law enforcement agencies.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Boycotts at local Health and Human Services office. I was 12 years old then.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working for the Advocates Social Services - 20 years

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible
It is Inspirational and a guide to salvation.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman.
Fight crime, inspire kids, create a safer environment.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I Am Who You Say I Am

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My wife Rachel and I have struggled tremendously with our daughters mental illness and related issues. At the age of nine years old Kimberly began to show signs of a mental disorder and later that year attempted suicide twice. Kimberly has been hospitalized at least ten times and is now twenty one years old.

As parents of a child who suffers from mental illness we felt hopeless and helpless. We struggled since the very first day up to now with this. Kimberly has made enormous strives in her life, she graduated high school and is currently is enrolled at Post University and will completing her first two years soon.

Kimberly has recently became a mother to a beautiful baby girl named Atarah. With Kimberly's consent Rachel and I have filed for full custody of Atarah. Rachel and I are proud grandparents and offered to be legal guardians of Atarh to help Kimberly deal with the pressure of school, and absentee father, a new born baby, and her continued struggle with mental illness.

We know that this will be a struggle considering our age and that we also have a young teenage son, Jaiden, however we are both Honored and Blessed to have been given this opportunity especially considering everything that we dealt with starting when Kimberly was nine years old.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Even though both Congressman and Senators are members of Congress, Congressman different from Senators in that Congressman represent smaller areas in the form of districts. Congressman have a unique opportunity to address many issues that prevail in their districts. In district 35 Homelessness, High Poverty, and Education are all equally in need of improvement.

A Congressman in District 35 could direct funding towards addressing the underscored issues. Additionally, a Congressman could be actively overseeing the programs and initiatives that he/she has worked to support.

A Congressman is in a unique position to support initiatives that State and local municipalities are currently supporting or to implement new initiatives.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that a Congressman should have some type of experience in the areas that He / She priorities to address.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

America's greatest challenges over the next decade will continue to be addressing the illegal drug use and ill effects related to illegal drug use. Along with the adverse implications on mental health and other health conditions, Youth development and the criminal justice system will continue to be negatively impacted.

This problem has the potential to cost Americans billions and possibly trillions of dollars just to cover the cost of treatments the symptoms.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Judiciary

Education and Labor
Veterans Affairs
Homeland Security

Science, Space, and Technology

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

No, I believe that four years is a more realistic time frame for a Congressman to implement new initiatives and to monitor its progression and effectiveness.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe that some type of term limits should be in place.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

Yes I am open to the idea however I am not sure in what role or capacity and am open to suggestions.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Henry B. Gonzalez

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

For the past twenty years I have worked with many families who were experiencing poverty and extreme poverty living conditions. During this time period I have heard many stories from individuals who have struggled with the plights of Hunger, Homeless, substandard quality of life in their respective communities.

In most and many cases, a lack of education, job training, and /or skills of a trade have complicated and already difficult situation especially for large families.

But for all these stories the ones that have had the most impact in my life and one the reasons why I decided run for Congress are the stories that I heard from the young children, teenagers, and young adults who I have the honor of working with through a youth program that I help sponsor.

Many of these youth have shared with me how the their lives have been impacted or changed for the better and how they now feel their lives have meaning and hope. Some of the youth had been Bullied in school and others had low self esteem due to their economic status or due to their over weight condition.

Others just felt inspired and encouraged by the positive reinforcement that they received.

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.

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