Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.

John Courage

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search


BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
John Courage
Image of John Courage

Nonpartisan

Prior offices
Alamo Community College District Board of Trustees
San Antonio City Council District 9
Successor: Misty Spears
Elections and appointments
Last election

May 3, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas, San Antonio

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Personal
Profession
Teacher
Contact

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

John Courage was a member of the San Antonio City Council in Texas, representing District 9. He assumed office on June 1, 2017. He left office on June 1, 2025.

Courage ran for election for Mayor of San Antonio in Texas. He lost in the general election on May 3, 2025.

Biography

Courage was born April 21, 1951. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a career teacher.[1]

Elections

2025

See also: Mayoral election in San Antonio, Texas (2025)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of San Antonio

Gina Ortiz Jones defeated Rolando Pablos in the general runoff election for Mayor of San Antonio on June 7, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gina Ortiz Jones
Gina Ortiz Jones (Nonpartisan)
 
54.3
 
77,587
Image of Rolando Pablos
Rolando Pablos (Nonpartisan)
 
45.7
 
65,245

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

Total votes: 142,832
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for Mayor of San Antonio

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of San Antonio on May 3, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gina Ortiz Jones
Gina Ortiz Jones (Nonpartisan)
 
27.2
 
27,517
✔
Image of Rolando Pablos
Rolando Pablos (Nonpartisan)
 
16.6
 
16,798
Image of Beto Altamirano
Beto Altamirano (Nonpartisan)
 
12.1
 
12,190
Image of Adriana Garcia
Adriana Garcia (Nonpartisan)
 
9.9
 
10,016
Image of Manny Pelaez
Manny Pelaez (Nonpartisan)
 
7.3
 
7,398
Image of Melissa Cabello Havrda
Melissa Cabello Havrda (Nonpartisan)
 
6.7
 
6,736
Image of John Courage
John Courage (Nonpartisan)
 
5.6
 
5,625
Image of Clayton Perry
Clayton Perry (Nonpartisan)
 
5.5
 
5,575
Image of Tim Westley
Tim Westley (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
3.7
 
3,776
Image of Robert Melvin
Robert Melvin (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.9
 
944
Image of Christopher Reyes
Christopher Reyes (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
522
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Sonia Traut (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
449
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Diana Uriegas (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
444
Image of Jade McCullough
Jade McCullough (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
425
Image of Brandon Gonzales
Brandon Gonzales (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
355
Image of Mauricio Sanchez
Mauricio Sanchez (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
337
Image of Andrew Vicencio
Andrew Vicencio (Nonpartisan)
 
0.3
 
303
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Michael Samaniego (Nonpartisan)
 
0.3
 
302
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Chris Herring (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
236
Image of Robert Salinas
Robert Salinas (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
197
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Gerardo Zambrano (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
183
Image of Santos Alvarado
Santos Alvarado (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
164
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Melvin (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
163
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Armando Dominguez (Nonpartisan)
 
0.2
 
152
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
April Guadarrama (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
149
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Bill Ruppel (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
113
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Arturo Espinosa (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
81

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

Total votes: 101,150
Candidate Connection = 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Courage in this election.

2023

See also: City elections in San Antonio, Texas (2023)

General election

General election for San Antonio City Council District 9

Incumbent John Courage defeated Jarrett Lipman, David Lara, and Dominque Liu in the general election for San Antonio City Council District 9 on May 6, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Courage
John Courage (Nonpartisan)
 
62.5
 
14,803
Image of Jarrett Lipman
Jarrett Lipman (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
27.6
 
6,545
Image of David Lara
David Lara (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
5.7
 
1,345
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Dominque Liu (Nonpartisan)
 
4.2
 
998

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 23,691
Candidate Connection = 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

2021

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

General runoff election

General runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 9

Incumbent John Courage defeated Patrick Von Dohlen in the general runoff election for San Antonio City Council District 9 on June 5, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Courage
John Courage (Nonpartisan)
 
53.9
 
9,904
Image of Patrick Von Dohlen
Patrick Von Dohlen (Nonpartisan)
 
46.1
 
8,486

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 18,390
Candidate Connection = 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.

General election

General election for San Antonio City Council District 9

Incumbent John Courage and Patrick Von Dohlen advanced to a runoff. They defeated Erika Moe, Antonio Salinas, and Cory Dennington (Unofficially withdrew) in the general election for San Antonio City Council District 9 on May 1, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Courage
John Courage (Nonpartisan)
 
47.1
 
11,853
✔
Image of Patrick Von Dohlen
Patrick Von Dohlen (Nonpartisan)
 
35.7
 
8,978
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Erika Moe (Nonpartisan)
 
12.3
 
3,107
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Antonio Salinas (Nonpartisan)
 
3.9
 
986
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Cory Dennington (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)
 
1.0
 
246

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 25,170
Candidate Connection = 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.

2019

See also: City elections in San Antonio, Texas (2019)

General election

General election for San Antonio City Council District 9

Incumbent John Courage defeated Patrick Von Dohlen, Nicholas Balderas, and Richard Versace in the general election for San Antonio City Council District 9 on May 4, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Courage
John Courage (Nonpartisan)
 
53.5
 
9,503
Image of Patrick Von Dohlen
Patrick Von Dohlen (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
40.7
 
7,220
Image of Nicholas Balderas
Nicholas Balderas (Nonpartisan)
 
4.9
 
862
Image of Richard Versace
Richard Versace (Nonpartisan)
 
1.0
 
173

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 17,758
Candidate Connection = 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.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in San Antonio, Texas (2017)

The city of San Antonio, Texas, held runoff elections for mayor and six of its 10 city council seats on June 10, 2017. John Courage defeated Marco Barros in the runoff election for the District 9 seat on the San Antonio City Council.

San Antonio City Council, District 9 Runoff Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png John Courage 52.66% 8,490
Marco Barros 47.34% 7,633
Total Votes 16,123
Source: Bexar County, Texas, "June 10, 2017 Media Report," June 22, 2017

The city of San Antonio, Texas, held general elections for mayor and all 10 of its city council seats on May 6, 2017. Candidates had to earn a majority of the votes cast in this election to win. Any race where no candidate received a majority (50 percent plus one) of the general election votes cast for that position advanced to a runoff election on June 10, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for the District 9 seat on the San Antonio City Council.[2]

San Antonio City Council, District 9 General Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Marco Barros 24.68% 3,617
Green check mark transparent.png John Courage 22.39% 3,281
Patrick Von Dohlen 19.21% 2,815
David Cohen 7.65% 1,121
Patricia Gibbons 7.42% 1,087
Lynlie Wallace 7.40% 1,085
Sandra Martinez-Deyarmond 4.38% 642
Bert Cecconi 3.32% 487
Matthew Piña 1.87% 274
Adam I. Goodman 1.67% 244
Total Votes 14,653
Source: Bexar County, Texas, "May 6, 2017 Media Report," May 18, 2017

Endorsements

As of April 20, 2017, Courage had been endorsed by the Sierra Club, the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, and Our Revolution.[1]

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Courage did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

John Courage did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

John Courage did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Courage did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Courage participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[4] The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“ We need to do more to support K-12 education as a city.[5] ”
—John Courage (April 20, 2017)[1]
Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's
ranking		 Issue Candidate's
ranking		 Issue
1
Crime reduction/prevention
7
Homelessness
2
Transportation
8
Housing
3
K-12 education
9
City services (trash, utilities, etc.)
4
Unemployment
10
Government transparency
5
Civil rights
11
Recreational opportunities
6
Environment
12
Public pensions/retirement funds
Local topics

Ballotpedia asked candidates specific questions regarding recent issues in the city. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column.

QuestionResponse
What is your stance on the Vista Ridge water pipeline project?
I think it's a bad deal for the city surrounding areas. We have the ability to get water from more local sources.
What policies should the city of San Antonio have regarding possession and use of marijuana?
We should seriously look to decriminalize marijuana.
How should San Antonio’s government respond if the state legislature preempts the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance?
We should protest it as the city should be allowed to govern itself, especially if the more local policy is the more inclusive policy.
Should local law enforcement in San Antonio consider immigration status in interactions with individuals? If yes, in what ways should that status be considered?
No.
Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?
Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important		 Important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?
Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal		 Local
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety?
Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs		 Increased economic opportunities
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development?
Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform		 Instituting a citywide minimum wage. While they city cannot legally institute a citywide minimum wage, we can raise the minimum wage of city employees and require a matched wage by government contractors.
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?
 The Spurs! (And how the entire city rallies around them, together.)
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?
 We are too economically segregated.


Courage also stated in his survey response:

“ I'm running to be your neighbor on city council. I simply have an interest to serve my community and will do so in a manner which reflects that I'm no different from those that I'll serve.[5] ”
—John Courage (April 20, 2017)[1]

See also

2025 Elections

Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
What's on the ballot?
U.S. Congress special elections
State executives
State legislatures
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards
Election analysis hub

Government

Seal of Texas.png
Who represents me?
U.S. Congress
State executives
State legislators
State courts
Ballot measures
Municipal government
School boards

Newsletters

Ballotpedia RSS.jpg
The Daily Brew
The Weekly Brew
The Ballot Bulletin
Checks and Balances
Economy and Society
Hall Pass
Number of the Day
Robe & Gavel
Union Station


External links

Candidate

Mayor of San Antonio
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
    		•

    Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "John Courage's Responses," April 20, 2017
    2. ↑ City of San Antonio, "Candidate Listings," accessed February 21, 2017
    3. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 Election and Candidate Information," accessed June 12, 2012
    4. ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -     		San Antonio City Council District 9
    2017-2025    		 Succeeded by
    Misty Spears
    Preceded by
    -     		Alamo Community College District Board of Trustees
    		Succeeded by
    -
    v • e
    2025 Municipal Elections
    Local Elections
    Ballotpedia Coverage
    Flag of Texas
    v • e
    State of Texas
    Austin (capital)
    Elections

    What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

    Government

    Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy


    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=John_Courage&oldid=10419042"