Former Mayor Ron Nirenberg Casts His Bid For County Judge Against Incumbent Peter Sakai
Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg formally launched his campaign Saturday to unseat Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, instantly transforming the 2025 Democratic primary into one of the most closely watched local races in Texas.
Nirenberg’s entry comes as national Democrats aim to avoid intra-party battles ahead of the midterms. But in Bexar County, the race is set to expose sharp contrasts in leadership style and community trust.
The former mayor, who left office this year with consistently high approval ratings, framed his run around the need for tighter alignment between city and county agencies.
“The cities and county work best when they work together,” Nirenberg said. “Right now, they’re too often rowing in opposite directions. We need leadership that aligns us and gets us rowing in the same direction.”
Sakai, who has made a habit of critiquing potential rivals publicly, dismissed Nirenberg’s political journey in a Facebook post.
“At one point Ron’s bags were packed for D.C. At one point he was running for Governor, then Senator,” Sakai said previously on Facebook. “It’s clear Ron never found the greener pastures he dreamed of. I, on the other hand, am not searching for something to do. We’re doing it.”
While Sakai framed Nirenberg’s pivot as opportunistic, it was no secret the former mayor had once been floated for a possible Biden or Harris administration post before Donald Trump’s 2024 upset.
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The former mayor left office this year as the city’s longest-serving mayor since Henry Cisneros and has since joined Trinity University as a communications professor. His high name recognition, calm public demeanor, and broad institutional support gives him a strong foundation heading into the primary.
Nirenberg reminded supporters that the position is fundamentally about local leadership, no matter the title.
In over 40 other states, they call that job ‘County Executive.’ In Tennessee, they call it ‘County Mayor.’ And here in Texas, we call it ‘County Judge.’ But as always, you can just call me Ron.
Ron Nirenberg
Public polling shows a significant difference in how voters view each candidate. An April survey from UTSA’s Center for Public Opinion Research showed:
- Nirenberg: 56% job approval as mayor
- Sakai: 40% job approval as county judge
- “Don’t know / Never heard of him”: 7% for Nirenberg, 25% for Sakai
- Margin of error: ±3.7%
Both Sakai and Nirenberg supported Propositions A and B for a new downtown Spurs arena, the Frost Bank Center and Rodeo improvements, and Eastside redevelopment. However, transparency concerns surrounding city and county leadership left Nirenberg untouched, even though he had already been helping lead the city’s negotiations.
Sakai did not fare the same. He entered office in 2023 promising unity, but as Project Marvel gained public attention and momentum, that cohesion began to slip.
While an UTSA Poll sits his public approval at 40%, county insiders describe friction behind the scenes. Sakai has struggled to manage growing clashes such as with Commissioner Tommy Calvert. Their ‘lack of’ direct communication has made cooperation difficult as the county moves forward with the voter-approved propositions and the upcoming East Side redevelopment.
At Nirenberg’s announcement Saturday, he emphasized aligning leadership to prevent the kind of disconnect that has become routine in recent months. Sakai, meanwhile, enters the race carrying political bruises from internal and public tensions– East Side and lower-income communities in the county who remain concerned about redevelopment and transparency.
So far, this race features two Democrats with very similar policy positions but sharply different reputations for management, stability, and leadership. As the March primary approaches, voters may be increasingly focus on temperament and who they trust to guide a fast-growing county.
