Campaigning and governing are different things. At the local level, former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has proven himself as a master of both.
Nirenberg cruised to victory Tuesday over Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai in the Democratic primary for that office. He will face Republican Patrick Von Dohlen in the general election. Nirenberg is the clear favorite - and for good reason. He is a leading Democrat in deep blue Bexar County, and he is an incredibly popular former mayor of San Antonio.
Over eight years as mayor, Nirenberg showed tremendous leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, created the city's Ready to Work program, boosted funding for VIA Metropolitan Transit, preserved Edwards Aquifer conservation, backed the city's first affordable housing bond, took the political lead on an overdue expansion of San Antonio International Airport and was instrumental in the voter-approved plan to build a new San Antonio Spurs arena downtown.
In defeating Sakai - a dedicated public servant and beloved former district court judge - Nirenberg is again at the center of San Antonio's civic conversation. That's not a knock on Von Dohlen. There is still a general election, and we look forward to again meeting with the Republican activist to hear his vision for the county. But like singer-songwriter Paul Simon wrote, we can read the writing on the wall.
In choosing Nirenberg in such resounding fashion in this primary, voters are backing not only his tenure as mayor but also his ability to bring vision and change to Bexar County. That must begin with addressing the massive problems with the Bexar County jail, were 87 inmates have died since 2020. Bexar County needs to go all in on diverting people from the jail, funding mental health beds and working with the city to end deadly double magistration.
Nirenberg also needs to better outline his plan for addressing health care gaps in Bexar County. This is something he discussed during the primary campaign, but his ideas have largely been general - more aspirational than grounded in reality - and need refining.
We'll expand on all of this in due time, but let's briefly reflect on other races of note:
In the Democratic primary for district attorney, longtime prosecutor Jane Davis will face former 4th Court of Appeals Justice Luz Elena Chapa. This race should be an easy call for voters. Davis has worked in every division in the office over a career that has spanned decades. Chapa, meanwhile, has the same amount of prosecutorial experience as our Editorial Board. She has never been a lead prosecutor. Neither have we. Enough said, people.
At the national level, Congressional District 23 U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales finds himself in a vulnerable political position after being at the center of a national scandal. Gonzales had an affair with a staffer, Uvalde district director Regina Santos-Aviles, in May 2024. Santos-Aviles then died by suicide in September. Revelations of the affair shifted this Republican primary, and Gonzales ended Tuesday night trailing Brandon Herrera, a YouTube influencer known as "the AK Guy."
That's quite a choice for GOP primary voters.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also finds himself in a runoff, though in a slightly better position than Gonzales. Cornyn, who led the GOP field with 41.8% of the vote, will face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is synonymous with scandal. Paxton is something of a darling of the Make America Great Again crowd. He is also probably the candidate Democrats would most want to face in the general election. Republican voters may want to consider that before jettisoning Cornyn, who has served four terms in the U.S. Senate.
The winner will face state Rep. James Talarico, who defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate with relative ease after an intense primary. Talarico is a Presbyterian minister, former teacher and a dynamo with social media. He has the kind of political acumen that can win over independents and even GOP voters. Most political races are settled in the party primaries, but Talarico is such a unique figure, and this is such an extraordinary moment, that it could be quite a November in Texas.
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