Gina Wins It: San Antonio Elects First LGBTQ+, Asian-American Woman Mayor
Gina Ortiz Jones has been elected the next mayor of San Antonio, defeating Republican Rolando Pablos in the June 7 runoff with 54.3% of the vote to his 45.7%.
Jones, a Democrat and former Under Secretary of the Air Force, becomes the city’s first openly gay mayor and one of the few women ever to lead the nation’s seventh-largest city.
She advanced to the June 7 runoff after the May 3 general election and defeated Pablos by nine points. Once sworn in, she will make history as the first Asian-American woman to lead a major Texas city, San Antonio’s first LGBTQ+ mayor, and the first woman in Texas with military combat experience to serve as mayor. She is also the first San Antonio mayor since 2005 elected without having served on City Council.
Raised in San Antonio, Jones is the daughter of a public school teacher and a proud graduate of John Jay High School. She earned an Air Force ROTC scholarship, served in the Iraq War, and rose to become the second-highest-ranking civilian in the Air Force and Space Force.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to be able to serve with everybody in mind,” Jones said in her victory speech. “Y’all, we won tonight, we won tonight” She added, “Bexar County showed up and showed out!”.
Over 112,000 voters participated in the runoff—an increase from the May general election. Jones received strong support across central and eastern precincts, while Pablos led in far-north and westside areas.
Pablos, a former Texas Secretary of State, had close ties to Governor Greg Abbott and received substantial support from politically aligned conservative donors and PACs. Those ties, however, may have worked against him, as more and more San Antonio voters have grown frustrated with Abbott’s influence and the policies coming out of Austin. The outcome sent a strong signal that local voters are weary of state-level interference in city affairs.
Ortiz Jones and the newly elected City Council will be sworn in during the “Mayor and City Council Blessing” at San Fernando Cathedral on June 18, a longstanding tradition marking the formal start of their terms in office.
