Mayoral election in San Antonio, Texas (2019)

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2019 San Antonio elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: February 15, 2019
General election: May 4, 2019
Runoff election: June 8, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and city council
Total seats up: 11 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

The city of San Antonio, Texas, held a general election for mayor on May 4, 2019. A runoff election was scheduled for June 8, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was February 15, 2019.

Incumbent Ron Nirenberg won election in the general runoff election for Mayor of San Antonio.

Incumbent Ron Nirenberg and Greg Brockhouse advanced from the general election for Mayor of San Antonio.

Nirenberg was first elected in 2017, defeating incumbent Ivy R. Taylor. He earlier served four years on the city council. Before his election to the city council, Nirenberg worked as a program director with the Annenberg Public Policy Center and as the general manager for KRTU-FM.[1]

Brockhouse first won his seat on the city council in 2017. He had earlier worked as a political consultant and staffer and in the banking industry, as well as serving nine years in the U.S. Air Force.[2]

On the campaign trail, Nirenberg and Brockhouse referred to disagreements on issues that have come before the city council since they won election. Nirenberg supported and Brockhouse opposed a vote to deny Chick-Fil-A a permit to operate in the municipal airport.[3] Meanwhile, Brockhouse opposed a proposal backed by Nirenberg calling for San Antonio to be carbon-neutral by 2050.[4] Nirenberg and Brockhouse also differed on an amendment which gave firefighters binding arbitration power in contract negotiations; while Brockhouse had supported the measure, Nirenberg opposed it.[5]

Elections

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Candidates

General runoff candidates

General election candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Ron Nirenberg

Greg Brockhouse

  • Texas Leadership Institute for Public Advocacy[8]
  • San Antonio Police Officers Association[9]
  • San Antonio Professional Firefighters[10]

Past elections

2017

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

Runoff

The city of San Antonio, Texas, held runoff elections for mayor and six of its 10 city council seats on June 10, 2017. Ron Nirenberg defeated incumbent Ivy R. Taylor in the runoff election for mayor of San Antonio.

Mayor of San Antonio, Runoff Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Ron Nirenberg 54.60% 54,020
Ivy R. Taylor Incumbent 45.40% 44,922
Total Votes 98,942
Source: Bexar County, Texas, "June 10, 2017 Media Report," June 22, 2017

General

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 mayor of San Antonio.[11]

Mayor of San Antonio, General Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Ivy R. Taylor Incumbent 42.01% 41,794
Green check mark transparent.png Ron Nirenberg 37.08% 36,890
Juan Manuel Medina 15.13% 15,049
Keven Roles 1.57% 1,557
Antonio Diaz 0.97% 966
Will McLeod 0.55% 545
Felicio Hernandez Flores II 0.43% 429
John Velasquez 0.39% 383
Gerard Ponce 0.37% 366
Michael Idrogo 0.37% 366
Rhett Rosenquest Smith 0.32% 321
Stephen Lucke 0.32% 315
Julie Iris Oldham 0.27% 270
Napoleon Madrid 0.23% 225
Total Votes 99,476
Source: Bexar County, Texas, "May 6, 2017 Media Report," May 18, 2017

2015

See also: San Antonio, Texas municipal elections, 2015

The city of San Antonio, Texas, held elections for mayor and city council on May 9, 2015. A runoff election took place on June 13, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 27, 2015. All 10 city council seats were up for election. In the mayoral race, incumbent Ivy R. Taylor faced Paul A. Martinez, Douglas S. Emmett, Michael Idrogo, Raymond Zavala, Mike Villarreal, Tommy Adkisson, Leticia Van de Putte, Rhett Rosenquest Smith, Julie Iris Oldham, Cynthia T. Cavazos, Pogo Mochello Reese and Cynthia Brehm. Because no candidate received a majority of the votes in the general election, the top-two candidates—Taylor and Van de Putte—advanced to a runoff election on June 13.[12][13][14] Taylor was the winner.[15]

Runoff election

Mayor of San Antonio Runoff Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngIvy R. Taylor Incumbent 51.7% 50,662
Leticia Van de Putte 48.3% 47,331
Total Votes 97,993
Source: Bexar County Elections, "Official runoff election results," accessed September 15, 2015


General election

Mayor of San Antonio General Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngLeticia Van de Putte 30.4% 25,986
Green check mark transparent.pngIvy R. Taylor Incumbent 28.4% 24,247
Mike Villarreal 26.1% 22,247
Tommy Adkisson 9.8% 8,344
Paul A. Martinez 2.2% 1,877
Cynthia Brehm 1.8% 1,498
Douglas S. Emmett 0.3% 221
Michael Idrogo 0.3% 221
Cynthia T. Cavazos 0.2% 201
Raymond Zavala 0.2% 196
Rhett Rosenquest Smith 0.1% 111
Julie Iris Oldham 0.1% 103
Gerard Ponce 0.1% 97
Pogo Mochello Reese 0% 29
Total Votes 82,701
Source: Bexar County Elections, "Official general election results," accessed May 28, 2015

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Texas elections, 2019

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Mayoral partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, five partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. In Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. In Garland, Texas, a Republican succeeded a mayor with unknown party affiliation. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, Aurora, or Garland.

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What was at stake?

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Candidate survey

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Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Michael Idrogo completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Idrogo's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

"AGENDA FOR BUILDING SAN ANTONIO INTO AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE" ; etc. at michaelformayor.net

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

All areas. For the benefit of citizens of San Antonio.

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.


Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

John Velasquez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Velasquez's responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1. Access to mental health services for ALL regardless of income, insurance, ability to pay or zip code. San Antonio should use the tax structure to construct a city-owned set of mental health clinics in EVERY zip code. 2. Reduction in traffic congestion through the use of "behavioral" strategies. This is what I call "The Active Driver Program". Several proposals include: variable speed lanes (not all lanes with the same speed limit) on both highways and city streets, left lane must be open at all times, slowest drivers must be in the right lane, encouraging routine lane changes, during high congestion leave gaps between cars to allow smooth movement of cars entering the highway, on city streets designate more "right turn only lanes", etc. This should also have a direct positive impact on mental health, i.e. reduce road rage. 3. Air Quality: Voluntary "no drive" days in which residents select one day a week to not drive their car nor leave the house/apartment. This should both reduce congestion and clean the air. Also, reduce/eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Mental Health. I am a psychologist and I have spoken with tens of thousands of San Antonio residents from all walks of life. Mental health is neglected and there is little recognition of the positive impact of mental health on physical health. San Antonio can improve the economic, cultural and social vitality by improving the mental health of ALL citizens.

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

John F. Kennedy is my lifelong "mentor". He said "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I believe that can translate to: "ask not what your city can do for you, but what you can do for your city." While I believe in government and what it can do for people, we need to encourage people to do their part in their daily lives. We cannot only wait and rely on San Antonio government to solve our problems. I believe the biggest impact on the life of the city can be made *by the citizens*. So, I want to encourage them (through behavior change) to contribute to the betterment of their city and community.

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

A Call to Action : Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by Jimmy Carter

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

An elected official must not commit "hubris". If an elected official believes that his/her ideas are the best, that is arrogant hubris. If an elected official looks to old/current "solutions" and acts as though we already know what we need to know and we already know what he need to do is also committing hubris. This is a way of using the past to solve complex problems and using the urgency of the present to rush to judgment. Leaders pull us ahead and reaches far into the future to transform society. The US and San Antonio are in need of a cultural transformation from how things have been done to what will truly work.

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

I am a behavioral "scientist". I am trained to seek knowledge and to seek people both within and outside my discipline. This helps me to be open-minded and receptive to both current and new ideas. I have success in building partnerships across agencies and disciplines. I truly care and have empathy for all people, especially the poor and the traumatized. I came from the down up, not from the middle or the top. I believe I have perspectives of all people. I can get into the minds of others and truly understand their circumstances without judging them.

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

The mayor must consult with the entire city council, the staff, the legal team, the economists and the average citizen of San Antonio before making decisions. A mayor must not have preconceived notions rooted only in his/her life experiences. He/She must reach out to others before making decisions or advocating for specific decisions. A Mayor must not just continue what works but must also challenge the system to do better.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I would like to leave for the citizens of San Antonio is one in which their lives were truly improved in a short period of time and that that improvement is sustained through out their lives. And I want every citizen to believe that they each had a part in change for the better.

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

The assassination of John F. Kennedy shocked me at the age of 6 years old. His tragic and premature death challenged me to act with urgency and with bold action on behalf of all.

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

My first job was cleaning up a Whataburger after it closed when I was 16 years old. I did this for a year. I rode my bike to and from work in the middle of the night.

What happened on your most awkward date?

My first date with my wife while we were in college. Her friends warned her not to go out with a guy who drove a van. I drove a van. We went to a movie and afterwards we walked across the UT Austin campus and found a place to make out. Midway we noticed someone in an office nearby watching us.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

My favorite holiday is Martin Luther King Day. I have attended the march in San Antonio numerous times and have encourage my family and my college students to attend. San Antonio had the largest march in the US and I am always inspired how *all* of San Antonio turns out. I feel so much a part of all of San Antonio on that day.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is "Stranger In a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein. My brother made me read that book. It is science fiction about a man raised on Mars who came to Earth and showed us how to think differently. He was met with discrimination and violence. As I was growing up I always felt like a stranger in my community of all Anglos and as one of the few Mexican Americans.

If the mayor in your city is a member of the city council and there's a city manager appointed to handle the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe should be the mayor's top priority in office?

The Mayor should take the advice of the City Manager and give feedback to the City Manager about the day-to-day impact of city policies and funding on the citizens. The Mayor should go "out" into the city and meet the common person, for those are the ones who depend the most on city services. The Mayor should assemble department heads on a weekly basis and receive the common person into City Hall and hear their stories and needs and provide "direct" help on that day. Hundreds of lives can be improved this way. The Mayor must have a personal touch on the city and "meet" the citizens. The Mayor must "believe" the people.

What do you love most about your city?

San Antonio is where my family is from. San Antonio is where my wife's family is from. Our roots are deep in the history and culture of San Antonio. I love the Mexican and German cultures which make up so much of our city's history. I love the cultural connection with Mexico. I love the cultural diversity and how the people of San Antonio show so much patience and respect for one another.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Because San Antonio is growing so rapidly, I am concerned that San Antonio will lose it's historical and cultural roots. I am concerned that our city will become too much like all other cities in the US. We must maintain our cultural traditions and do things our way.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

The relationship between San Antonio and the State of Texas is strained. State government represents only Texas north of San Antonio in policy and culture. This is why counties south of the line from El Paso, San Antonio and Corpus Christi must pull away and create our own state, "South Texas" with San Antonio as the "state capitol". All state and federal elections continue to show that these counties vote Democratic yet the current state government is Republican. We are losing valuable resources and time and culture while being governed by those who do not have roots and understanding of "South Texas".

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the federal government?

The relationship between San Antonio and the federal government is also strained. The development of a new state of "South Texas" will allow us to develop better policies for education and health care and an improved relationship with Mexico. We should have a greater say in how to manage the border with Mexico, a more humane, compassionate and culturally relevant manner.

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.



About the city

See also: San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is a city in Bexar County, Texas. As of 2010, its population was 1,327,407.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

The city of San Antonio uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[16]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio Texas
Population 1,327,407 25,145,561
Land area (sq mi) 485 261,266
Race and ethnicity**
White 80.3% 74%
Black/African American 7% 12.1%
Asian 2.8% 4.8%
Native American 0.8% 0.5%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.1%
Other (single race) 6% 5.8%
Multiple 3% 2.7%
Hispanic/Latino 64.2% 39.3%
Education
High school graduation rate 82.4% 83.7%
College graduation rate 26% 29.9%
Income
Median household income $52,455 $61,874
Persons below poverty level 17.8% 14.7%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


State profile

See also: Texas and Texas elections, 2019
USA Texas location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

  • Texas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Texas Party Control: 1992-2025
Three years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Texas quick stats
  • Became a state in 1845
  • 28th state admitted to the United States
  • Texas was an independent republic from 1836 to 1845
  • Members of the Texas State Senate: 31
  • Members of the Texas House of Representatives: 150
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 36
More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Texas
 TexasU.S.
Total population:27,429,639316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):261,2323,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:74.9%73.6%
Black/African American:11.9%12.6%
Asian:4.2%5.1%
Native American:0.5%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:38.4%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:81.9%86.7%
College graduation rate:27.6%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$53,207$53,889
Persons below poverty level:19.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

One of 254 Texas counties—0.4 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Jefferson County, Texas 0.48% 1.61% 2.25%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Texas with 52.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Texas cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 66.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Texas supported Democratic candidates slightly more often than Republicans, 53.3 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Texas. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[17][18]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 54 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 37.4 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 65 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won 10 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 96 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 36.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 85 out of 150 state House districts in Texas with an average margin of victory of 34.5 points.

See also

San Antonio, Texas Texas Municipal government Other local coverage
Seal of San Antonio.jpeg
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Vote Ron, "About Ron," accessed June 6, 2019
  2. ↑ Greg Brockhouse for Mayor, "About Greg Brockhouse," accessed June 6, 2019
  3. ↑ San Antonio Current, "Greg Brockhouse Serves Up New Chick-Fil-A Offensive as Runoff Vote Looms," May 29, 2019
  4. ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "Mayoral contenders spar on climate change policy," May 14, 2019
  5. ↑ The Rivard Report, "Ron Nirenberg: Advancing San Antonio Is ‘My Challenge, Our Collective Work’," April 22, 2019
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 San Antonio Current, "Mayor Ron Nirenberg Got Endorsements From Texas Organizing Project and the Texas Democratic Party – Here's Why That Matters," May 22, 2019
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Rivard Report, "Nirenberg Scores Endorsement from Castro Twins," May 25, 2019
  8. ↑ Texas Leadership Institute for Public Advocacy, "Home," accessed June 6, 2019
  9. ↑ Ballotpedia Editor, "Email communications with the Ballotpedia editorial email account," May 22, 2019
  10. ↑ Ballotpedia Editor, "Email communications with the Ballotpedia editorial email account," May 22, 2019
  11. ↑ City of San Antonio, "Candidate Listings," accessed February 21, 2017
  12. ↑ Bexar County Elections, "2015 Unofficial Election Results," accessed May 9, 2015
  13. ↑ Harris County, "Important 2015 Election Dates," accessed January 12, 2015
  14. ↑ City of San Antonio, "2015 Candidate Listing," accessed March 18, 2015
  15. ↑ Bexar County Elections, "Official runoff election results," accessed September 15, 2015
  16. ↑ City of San Antonio, "Your Government," accessed October 24, 2014
  17. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  18. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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