Mayoral election in San Antonio, Texas (2021)
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| 2021 San Antonio elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: February 12, 2021 |
| General election: May 1, 2021 Runoff election: June 5, 2021 (canceled) |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor |
| Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2021 |
Mayor Ron Nirenberg won re-election in a 14-candidate nonpartisan election in San Antonio, Texas, on May 1, 2021. Nirenberg received 61.9% of the vote. 2019 challenger Greg Brockhouse received 31.5% of the vote. No other candidate received more than 2% of the vote.
Media coverage focused on Nirenberg, Brockhouse (who previously ran against Nirenberg in 2019 and lost by 2.2 percentage points in the runoff election), and Denise Gutierrez-Homer. [1][2] Nirenberg led in fundraising, acquiring $317,620 in contributions from January 1 to March 22, 2021, compared to Brockhouse's $100,755 for the same period. Gutierrez-Homer, the only other candidate to report contributions for this period, raised $7,061.
Brockhouse and Gutierrez-Homer both disagreed with Nirenberg's response to the pandemic. “I would have never shut us down,” Brockhouse said, “I would have not promoted mandatory masks. I would have worked within the science and the parameters of helping us keep moving throughout our community.” Gutierrez-Homer said the city was “closed for too long,” and that Nirenberg was "getting too much direction" from Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff (D) (who serves as the county's chief executive officer).[3] Nirenberg said that it was essential to keep safety measures in place, and described Governor Greg Abbott's (R) lifting of business restrictions and mask mandates as like “cut[ting] off your parachute just as you’ve slowed your descent.”[4]
Proposition B, a ballot measure repealing local authority for collective bargaining with the San Antonio Police Officers Association to negotiate wages, healthcare, leave, and other policies was also an issue in the race. Nirenberg said he would leave the issue up to voters, and it was his "job as mayor to make sure there are good-faith negotiations happening in the next collective bargaining agreement of which we are now engaged." Brockhouse and Gutierrez-Homer both oppose Proposition B. Brockhouse said the proposition was a form of defunding the police, and if enacted, “Police officers will leave, and it will make us less safe.” Gutierrez-Homer also opposed the measure, saying that collective bargaining “is vital for any recruitment and retention of top notch employees."[5]
The mayor is a member of the city council. He or she presides over council meetings and official city ceremonies. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national and international levels.[6] The filing deadline for this election was February 12, 2021.
As of April 2021, 63 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 26 are affiliated with the Republican Party, four are independents, and seven identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated. While most mayoral elections in the 100 largest cities are nonpartisan, most officeholders are affiliated with a political party.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Mayor of San Antonio
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of San Antonio on May 1, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ron Nirenberg (Nonpartisan) | 61.9 | 92,156 |
 | Greg Brockhouse (Nonpartisan) | 31.5 | 46,829 | |
 | Denise Gutierrez (Nonpartisan) | 1.8 | 2,711 | |
 | Gary Allen (Nonpartisan) | 1.4 | 2,049 | |
 | Antonio Diaz (Nonpartisan) | 0.9 | 1,358 | |
 | Tim Atwood (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 786 | |
| Jacq'ue Miller (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 703 | ||
| Ray Adam Basaldua (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 631 | ||
 | Michael Idrogo (Nonpartisan) | 0.3 | 406 | |
 | John Velasquez (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 340 | |
| Dan Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 334 | ||
| Frank Muniz (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 208 | ||
| Justin Macaluso (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 207 | ||
| Joshua Galvan (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 172 | ||
| Total votes: 148,890 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[7]
Ron Nirenberg
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
Mayor of San Antonio (Assumed office: 2017)
San Antonio City Council (2013-2017)
Biography: Nirenberg holds a B.A. from Trinity University (1999) and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania (2001), both in communications. He worked as program director for the Annenberg Public Policy Center and general manager of Trinity University’s KRTU-FM, an independent community radio station. Nirenberg served two terms as District 8 councilman from 2013-2017 before being elected mayor in 2017.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of San Antonio in 2021.
Greg Brockhouse
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
San Antonio City Council (2017-2019)
Biography: Brockhouse is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He worked in the mortgage industry for over 15 years and owns a janitorial service company. Brockhouse represented District 6 of the San Antonio City Council from 2017 to 2019.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of San Antonio in 2021.
Denise Gutierrez-Homer
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Gutierrez-Homer graduated from the University of Texas-San Antonio in 1987. She worked as an elementary school teacher and started a business in interior design and decorative painting.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of San Antonio in 2021.
Campaign finance
Debates and forums
Candidates participated in a three-day forum hosted by KSAT, the San Antonio Report, and Bexar Facts.[8] Click here to watch.
Campaign themes
- See also: Campaign themes
Ron Nirenberg
Campaign website
Nirenberg’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Ron Nirenberg's campaign website (2021)[10] | ||
Greg Brockhouse
Campaign website
Brockhouse’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Jennifer Smith’s campaign website (2021)[11] | ||
Denise Gutierrez-Homer
Campaign website
Gutierrez-Homer’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
|
” |
| —Denise Gutierrez-Homer's campaign website (2021)[12] | ||
Noteworthy endorsements
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.
| Noteworthy endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Nirenberg | Brockhouse | Gutierrez-Homer | |||
| Newspapers and editorials | ||||||
| San Antonio Express-News[13] | ✔ | |||||
| Elected officials | ||||||
| Texas State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R)[14] | ✔ | |||||
| Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff (D)[15] | ✔ | |||||
| Organizations | ||||||
| Pastors PAC[16] | ✔ | |||||
| Texas Democratic Party[17] | ✔ | |||||
Mayoral partisanship
Mayoral elections were held in 28 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2021. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.
The following top-100 mayoral offices changed partisan control in 2021:
- Mayor John J. Lee of North Las Vegas, Nevada, announced that he was changing his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican on April 6, 2021.[18]
- David Bronson (R) was elected as mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, on May 11, 2021. He assumed office on July 1, 2021, replacing nonpartisan Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in local elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many areas. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local election. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2021
May 1, 2021
- City elections in San Antonio, Texas (2021)
- Harlandale Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- San Antonio Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- Northside Independent School District (Bexar County), Texas, elections (2021)
- Alamo Heights Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- Judson Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- Southside Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- Southwest Independent School District, Texas, elections (2021)
- San Antonio, Texas, Proposition A, Public Purpose Bond Issuance Charter Amendment (May 2021)
- San Antonio, Texas, Proposition B, Repeal Police Collective Bargaining Initiative (May 2021)
June 5, 2021
September 28, 2021
November 2, 2021
- Texas state legislative special elections, 2021
- Texas Proposition 1, Authorize Charitable Raffles at Rodeo Venues Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 2, Authorize Counties to Issue Infrastructure Bonds in Blighted Areas Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 3, Prohibition on Limiting Religious Services or Organizations Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 4, Changes to Eligibility for Certain Judicial Offices Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 5, State Commission on Judicial Conduct Authority Over Candidates for Judicial Office Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 6, Right to Designated Essential Caregiver Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 7, Homestead Tax Limit for Surviving Spouses of Disabled Individuals Amendment (2021)
- Texas Proposition 8, Homestead Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Military Fatally Injured in the Line of Duty Amendment (2021)
- Alamo Heights Independent School District, Texas, Proposition A, Property Tax (November 2021)
- East Central Independent School District, Texas, Proposition A, Bond Issue (November 2021)
- Judson Independent School District, Texas, Proposition A, Bond Issue (November 2021)
- Judson Independent School District, Texas, Proposition B, Bond Issue (November 2021)
- Judson Independent School District, Texas, Proposition C, Bond Issue (November 2021)
- Southside Independent School District, Texas, Proposition A, Bond Issue (November 2021)
About the city
- See also: San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is a city in Bexar County, Texas. As of 2020, its population was 1,434,625.
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.[19]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for San Antonio, Texas | ||
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | Texas | |
| Population | 1,434,625 | 29,145,505 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 498 | 261,267 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 71.9% | 69.2% |
| Black/African American | 6.8% | 12.1% |
| Asian | 3% | 4.9% |
| Native American | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 7.4% | 6.2% |
| Multiple | 10.1% | 7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 64.7% | 39.4% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 82.7% | 84.4% |
| College graduation rate | 26.4% | 30.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $53,420 | $63,826 |
| Persons below poverty level | 17.6% | 14.2% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **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. | ||
See also
| San Antonio, Texas | Texas | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ KSAT, "Bexar Facts poll: Mayor Ron Nirenberg leads challenger Greg Brockhouse 56-21 among likely San Antonio voters," April 6, 2021
- ↑ Politico, "The mayoral races to watch in 2021," April 19, 2021
- ↑ KSAT, "What you missed in San Antonio mayoral forum featuring Ron Nirenberg, Greg Brockhouse, Denise Gutierrez-Homer," April 20, 2021
- ↑ Forbes, "Biden Slams Texas And Mississippi’s ‘Neanderthal Thinking’ In Dropping Covid-19 Restrictions And Mask Mandate," March 3, 2021
- ↑ KSAT, "What you missed in San Antonio mayoral forum featuring Ron Nirenberg, Greg Brockhouse, Denise Gutierrez-Homer," April 20, 2021
- ↑ City of San Antonio, "Mayor," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ KSAT, "What you missed in San Antonio mayoral forum featuring Ron Nirenberg, Greg Brockhouse, Denise Gutierrez-Homer," April 20, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mayor Ron for San Antonio, “My Priorities,” accessed April 21, 2021
- ↑ Brockhouse for Mayor, “Home,” accessed April 21, 2021
- ↑ Denise 4 San Antonio Mayor, “Home,” accessed April 21, 2021
- ↑ Politico, "The mayoral races to watch in 2021," April 19, 2021
- ↑ Denise 4 San Antonio, "Endorsements," February 21, 2021
- ↑ San Antonio Report, "Judge Nelson Wolff endorses Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s bid for a third term," February 21, 2021
- ↑ Pastors PAC, "Pastors PAC Endorsements," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Texas Democrats, "Texas Democratic Party Endorses San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg Ahead of San Antonio Mayoral Runoff," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee says he’s becoming a Republican," April 6, 2021
- ↑ City of San Antonio, "Your Government," accessed October 24, 2014
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