Allies vs. Adversaries – Election Outcome Meanings
As San Antonio shifts from a crowded mayoral race to runoff battles for open council seats, it’s time to reflect on the results and focus on the work ahead to shape the city’s future leadership.
From a field of twenty-seven mayoral candidates, in the primary, the field was narrowed down to the top two vote getters: Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos. Neither of these candidates reached the over 50% of the votes necessary to win outright. They were then scheduled to meet, in a June 7th runoff.
The runoff outcome resulted in a win for Ortiz Jones, who garnered 54.30% of the votes, compared to Pablos garnering 45.70% of the votes cast. Both candidates were rather “new to local politics”, but campaign contributions and messaging appears to have a major influence on the outcome.
Jones appears to have been impressive to various voters, given her military background and service as Undersecretary of the U. S. Air Force, although her campaign didn’t get large donations from political action committees.
On the other hand, Pablos received financial backing from a conservative political action committee – The Texas Economic Fund, which raised $1.3 million over the last month prior to the runoff and reportedly had spent around $600,000 on advertising.
City Council Election Outcomes
District 1: Sukh Kaur defeated Patty Gibbons (won outright)
District 2: Jalen McKee-Rodriguez defeated seven challengers (won outright)
District 3: Phyllis Viagran defeated three challengers (won outright)
District 4: Edward Mungia defeated four other candidates (won outright)
District 5: Terri Castillo defeated her challengers (won outright)
District 6: Ric Galvan defeated Kelly Ann Gonzales (won in runoff)
District 7: Marina Alderete Gavito defeated two challengers (won outright)
District 8: Ivalis Meza Gonzalez defeated Paula McGee (won in runoff)
District 9: Misty Spears defeated Angie Taylor Aramburu (won in runoff)
District 10: Marc Whyte defeated his challenger (won outright)
What will San Antonio’s governing landscape look like now, in a city that feels noticeably different than in years past? One thing is clear—voters have sent a strong message: no more politics as usual, and in their own way, they’re saying, “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
