“The Results Are In: D2 City Councilman Re-Elected”
The results are in. District 2 City Councilman incumbent Jalen McKee-Rodriguez has been re-elected to his seat Saturday night. District 2- the largest district in San Antonio- encompasses the entire East side corridor.
McKee-Rodriguez is the first incumbent to be re-elected for a second term in District 2 in eight years, since Alan Warrick II defeated Keith Toney and Antonio Diaz. The 27 year old educator and first openly Gay Black man elected to office defeated 9 challengers. He has had quite the quintessential political journey, having captured national attention such as being included in the list of 100 Influential African Americans in the U.S by The Root as well as endorsements from both Nicki Minaj and Jane Fonda.
McKee- Rodriguez prides himself as being a grassroots leader, firmly placing and maintaining a presence in the community. He and his team hold ongoing office hours across the district as well as applying a multi-tier accessible communication strategy.
In an interview with TPR, he states, “We have a monthly newsletter that hits households. We block-walk. We text message. We do all the things that a campaign does, but we do them year-round. So folks feel connected to our office in ways that they haven’t previously.” Community involvement and awareness is something that continues to be a cornerstone on the San Antonio east side. In an area with a large African American investment, several businesses and organizations alike value political leadership that is both informative and transparent.
According to the the City of San Antonio website, McKee-Rodriguez advocates for “equitable investment in city infrastructure, increased focus on the social determinants of health, accountability and transparency in city operations, and the re-imagination of public safety to prevent crime.”
However, his campaign has not been without detractors.Since his initial election in 2021, he has been met with ongoing acts of homophobia. During early voting, McKee- Rodriguez made headlines when one of his signs was defaced with the word “goomer”.
In a statement to MySA on April 25th, McKee-Rodriguez stated, “This rhetoric is extremely ugly, disgusting, hateful, and baseless. My team and I are receiving overwhelming support from residents in our district, but messages like these hurt far more people than just me… my heart hurts for the members of the LGBTQ+ community who had to see this message in our hometown. I hope whoever is doing this has the day, and life, they deserve.”
Despite this, McKee-Rodriguez remains committed to ensuring District 2 is a safe place for residents. He will continue to advocate for District 2 and speak out against any unnecessary injustice.
