San Antonio hasn’t had a metropolitan political election with this much at risk in rather a long time, as citizens pick a brand-new mayor and 10 City board participants on the May 3 tally.
In 4 City board races, citizens are choosing somebody totally brand-new to fill in long time incumbents– suggesting the city’s mostly left-leaning council and mayor’s workplace can deal with a significant overhaul.
For the very first time, this inbound course of city leaders will certainly offer four-year terms prior to they need to look for reelection, suggesting this is the last opportunity ballots reach evaluate in up until 2029.
Check out every one of the prospects in the San Antonio Record’s 2025 Citizen Guide.
Political election day is Saturday, May 3, with surveys open up from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If no prospect takes at the very least 50% of the ballot, the leading 2 finishers because race will certainly progress to a June 7 drainage.
Along with the city political election, 8 San Antonio-area institution areas are holding institution board races on the May 3 tally– a few of which have actually attracted large investing from outdoors teams and educators’ unions.
Several areas are likewise organizing institution bond political elections– ballots that tackle added importance as state leaders attempt to elevate the assistance limit for bonds hereafter legal session.
And also, 9 Bexar Region residential areas are holding community political elections on May 3.
Download a duplicate of your individual example tally to see what races and tally steps you’ll be asked to evaluate in on.
Below are the leading 10 races the San Antonio Record editors and press reporters will certainly be seeing on political election evening.
1. San Antonio Mayor

San Antonio is getting ready to choose a substitute for term-limited Mayor Ron Nirenberg– the city’s very first brand-new mayor in 8 years– and a jampacked area of 27 prospects are running.
Since one of the most current project fundraising records, 4 prospects show up to have actually drawn in advance in investing: Technology business owner Beto Altamirano, Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), previous Flying force Under Assistant Gina Ortiz Jones, and previous Texas Assistant of State Rolando Pablos.
A UTSA study performed in very early April supplied a few of the only independent public ballot on the race, and recommended citizens were still generally uncertain on their options simply days of the beginning of very early ballot.
Jones held the only clear lead in the UTSA survey, and the leading rate included several prospects that were not amongst the leading fundraising events, consisting of long time Northside Councilman John Guts (D9), Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4), previous Area 10 Councilman Clayton Perry and Division of Protection staff member Tim Westley.
In the last weeks, political action committee cash has actually gathered to affect San Antonio citizens in a detached race that both Republicans and Democrats state lugs statewide importance.
Ninenberg invested a lot of his last term dealing with state GOP leaders and stymiing for Democrat Kamala Harris’ governmental project, however Texas’ large city mayors have actually been continuously moving far from progressivism, and both celebrations are carefully checking citizen belief in among the state’s last Autonomous garrisons.
Pablos has connections to state GOP leaders, while Jones has actually competed Congress two times as a Democrat. Altamirano invested his very early profession benefiting Democrats at the state and nationwide degree, in spite of marketing as even more of a centrist in this race.
Those 3 Municipal government outsiders have actually leveraged their political links to gobble a lot of the oxygen and fundraising in a jampacked, complex area, while regional teams like the cops and fire unions have actually chosen to wait on the drainage prior to making a recommendation.
Historically, nonetheless, San Antonio citizens have actually revealed a clear choice for prospects with council experience. In 70 years, the city has actually just chosen one mayor that had actually not offered on the City board initially, lawyer Phil Hardberger in 2005, and the 5 past and existing council participants in this year’s race are wanting to maintain that touch going.
2. Common Council Area 1

First-term Councilwoman Sukh Kaur ( D1) deals with a barn-burner reelection race with equaling area teams, scorched-earth political specialists and pro-business passions all considering in.
Kaur managed an dismayed success in 2023, beating an incumbent to stand for a crucial midtown- and near-Northside area that’s been home to almost all of the city’s current significant advancement tasks.
This year, her 9 challengers consist of several that were encouraged to run by their individual experience dealing with city tasks in Area 1, like VIA Metropolitan Transportation’s Eco-friendly Line, the brand-new Objectives’ Minors Baseball arena and a recommended NBA field.
In the previous thirty day Kaur has actually invested greater than any type of various other council incumbent and most mayoral hopefuls– plus the pro-business team San Antonio Equity Partnership placed $ 25,000 right into the race on her part.
Speak with the complete checklist of District 1 candidates in our 2025 Citizen Guide.
Her best-funded challenger Julisa Medrano-Guerra, whose project worked with a private detective and moneyed an attack of strike advertisements after bench she possesses really did not obtain a building and construction reduction give from the city. She’s just increased regarding $1,000 however invested regarding $63,000 of her very own cash.
Various other leading fundraising events consist of Patty Gibbons, a surveyor and area leader that dealt with being redistricting right into D1, and Susan Strawn, a previous united state district attorney that offered on the River Roadway Neighborhood watch board and dealt with the elimination of trees in Brackenride Park.
3. Common Council Area 4

Despite 2 years left of qualification in the seat, this year Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia (D4) tossed her name in for mayor rather than competing reelection.
Longtime Area 4 staffer Edward Mungia, that functioned under both Rocha Garcia and Rey Saldaña and offered on South San ISD’s board, was amongst the very early prospects to introduce a project to change her, and has actually led the cram in fundraising.
He deals with challengers that state the city’s Southwest Side is being left, consisting of McNair Intermediate school primary Johnathon Cruz, previous South San ISD trustee Ernesto Arrellano Jr. and trucking firm proprietor Jose “Pepe” Martinez.
4. Common Council Area 6

A race to stand for the fast-growing much West Side attracted 8 prospects this year, as long time Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) leaves the seat to compete mayor.
Before the left-leaning Cabello Havrda, D6 chose conventional Greg Brockhouse, so it’s national politics are deemed rather unpredictable. Especially, it is among minority races where neither the cops union neither the fire union have actually supported a prospect, and prospects’ histories vary throughout the partial range.
View the prospects join the San Antonio Record’s Area 6 argument.
Leading fundraising events consist of a previous labor coordinator from the city’s staff member union, Kelly Ann Gonzalez, in addition to previous Area 1 staffer Lawson Alaniz-Picasso. The race likewise includes 2 Municipal government professionals, Vanessa Chavez and Gerald Lopez.
Other prospects consist of Autonomous Socialists of America-backed Ric Galvan, liberal lobbyist Chris Baecker, a previous Texas Residence prospect that ran under both event associations, Carlos Antonio Raymond, and a conservative-minded previous councilman that was elected out in the middle of numerous rumors, Bobby Herrera.
5. Common Council Area 8
District 8 on the Northwest Side consists of a few of the most affluent areas in San Antonio, and sometimes looks extremely little like the remainder of the city.
The pricey race to change Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8) has actually drawn in a few of one of the most focus amongst council races this year, with prospects jockeying as early as last March.
In the last weeks leading up to the political election, 2 of the race’s leading fundraising events have actually been striking each other over overdue tax obligations, a “produced” principles grievance and allegations of influence-peddling.
One likewise obtained aid from an oddly well-funded brand-new education-focused political action committee with connections to public charter institution supporters.
6. Common Council Area 9
This much Northside race has actually come to be something of a proxy battle in between regional chosen Democrats and Republicans, that aligned behind Angi Taylor Aramburu and Misty Spears, specifically.
Long time Councilman John Guts (D9) competed workplace lot of times as a Democrat prior to offering on the council, and since he’s leaving the seat, traditionalists aspire to choose among their very own in an area thought about amongst the city’s most red.
Spears has actually controlled in fundraising and has actually signboards funded by the cops union, however ran the gauntlet regarding less-fiscally conventional individual financial resources.
The race consists of a variety of engaging prospects worth seeing in our Area 9 argument.
7. San Antonio ISD & & 8. Northside ISD
School board races in San Antonio ISD and Northside ISD obtained warmed this year as educators’ unions have actually looked for to advertise a brand-new generation of modern leaders with these seats.
In SAISD’s uncommon Area 1 race, virtually $60,000 has actually been invested in between the projects of union-backed Trustee Sarah Sorensen, that deals with a difficulty from previous Autonomous state legislator, Mike Villarreal, that obtained aid from a business-backed political action committee.
The competition attracted recommendations from a variety of San Antonio’s chosen Democrats that divided their assistance in between both prospects, with united state Rep. Greg Casar and Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez behind Sorensen and state Rep. Diego Bernal and state Sen. José Menéndez behind Villarreal.
Northside ISD’s races have actually been a lot more economical. Yet as union-backed oppositions tackle long time incumbents, a conventional team that was energetic in previous political election cycles just recently reemerged to sustain 2 incumbents, Area 6 Trustee Carol Harle and Area 7 Trustee Karen Freeman.
9. Alamo Colleges Area & & 10. East Central

In East Central ISD, all eyes will certainly get on a bond proposition this Saturday, simply months after citizens declined the area’s last bond proposition.
The area returned with a smaller sized ask this time around, however unlike neighboring areas where registration numbers are reducing, East Central’s leaders state their trainee populace is proliferating and they seriously require to develop even more centers to maintain.
If the proposition stops working, they’ll be entrusted to couple of various other alternatives to produce brand-new profits. A special-interest group to sustain it has actually invested regarding $17,000.
On the tally of all Bexar Region citizens this year is a record-high virtually $1 billion Alamo Colleges Area bond to develop brand-new centers and develop brand-new scholastic programs.
Advocates consist of several magnate that state the cash is required to develop the region’s future labor force, while the Bexar GOP came out versus it, stating city government currently lugs way too much financial obligation. A special-interest group to sustain the bond has actually invested regarding $340,000.