SAN ANTONIO – More than two dozen candidates will compete for San Antonio’s open mayor seat in what could be an expensive and consequential race.
The May 3 election will be the city’s first mayoral race without an incumbent since 2009. Given the number of candidates — at least 27 as of Feb. 14 — the race will likely go to a two-way runoff on June 7.
The filing period closed at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14.
The crowd of candidates includes current and former council members, members of the business community, previously unsuccessful candidates from other races and several unknowns.
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After voters approved new mayoral term limits and a higher salary last November, the city’s next mayor will hold office for four years instead of two. The next mayor will also make $87,800 in the role, a significant jump from the previous mayoral salary of $61,725.
In a crowded field, political consultants believe the eventual winner would need to have deep pockets.
>> Flood of candidates sign up for San Antonio mayor, council races
Below is a list of 23 of the 27 mayoral candidates:
Beto Altamirano
Altamirano co-founded Irys, formerly known as Cityflag, which developed the 311SA app for the City of San Antonio and recently acquired cybersecurity company Diversified Technical Services, Inc. (DTSI).
Watch his full, one-on-one interview with KSAT here.
Santos Alvarado
Alvarado served as an active-duty member of the U.S. Army for 15 years and returned to service months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to his campaign website. He retired in 2011 after more than two decades in the armed services.
Melissa Cabello Havrda
Cabello Havrda is an attorney and has served as the District 6 councilwoman since 2019. She is the chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee and serves on the Governance, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Municipal Court Advisory Committees.
John Courage
District 9 Councilman John Courage applied for a place on the ballot a half-hour before the filing deadline on Friday, Feb. 14.
Courage announced his initial bid for San Antonio mayor in January 2024 before bowing out of the race in December 2024.
Armando Dominguez
Dominguez, who filed on Feb. 15, listed his occupation as a provider.
Arturo Espinosa
Espinosa was one of two challengers in 2023 who ran against incumbent Teri Castillo for the District 5 city council seat. Castillo won re-election . His application lists his occupation as a chemical engineer.
Brandon Gonzales
Gonzales’ application lists his occupation as a granite polisher.
April Guadarrama
Guadarrama is a retired insurance agent.
Christopher Herring
Herring is the executive director of the Global Chamber San Antonio and a former CEO of the Alamo City Chamber of Commerce. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran.
Jade McCullough
McCullough is the CEO of Jaszy Angel’s Childcare, which bills itself as a mobile childcare company.
James “Jae” Melvin
Melvin’s application lists his occupation as a construction liaison.
Robert Melvin
Real estate developer Robert Melvin is the CEO of Limitless Creations, LLC. He is also a former CEO and president of San Antonio for Growth on the East Side.
Gina Ortiz Jones
A former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, Ortiz Jones twice ran for the District 23 congressional seat as a Democrat in 2018 and 2020, losing to Republicans Will Hurd and Tony Gonzales, respectively. She served as Under Secretary of the United States Air Force, the department’s second-highest-ranking official, during the Biden administration and led an abortion rights political action committee during the November 2024 election that aimed to unseat conservative judges on the Texas Supreme Court.
Rolando Pablos
Pablos is a former Texas Secretary of State who currently heads up an international trade advisory company. Pablos also served as a member of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, chairman of the Texas Racing Commission, and as a senior advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott on Mexican and International affairs.
Manny Pelaez
Pelaez is an attorney and has been the District 8 councilman since 2017. He is the chairman of the council’s Governance Committee and Economic and Workforce Development Committee. He also serves on the Municipal Court Advisory and Planning and Community Development Committees.
Watch his full, one-on-one interview with KSAT here.
Clayton Perry
Perry is a retired, former U.S. Air Force officer who served as the District 10 councilman between 2017 and 2023. He was known as a reliably conservative voice on the city council before a drunken hit-and-run prompted him to take a temporary leave of absence and not run for a fourth and final council term.
Christopher Reyes
Reyes is a U.S. Army veteran and works as a survey tech for an engineering company.
Adriana Rocha Garcia
Rocha Garcia was first elected to represent District 4 on the city council in 2019 and is also a part-time marketing professor at Our Lady of the Lake University. She previously chaired the city’s Ethics Review Board and worked at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is the chairwoman of the council’s Planning and Community Development Committee and Municipal Utilities Committee. She also serves on the Economic and Workforce Development, Governance, and Community Health Committees.
Watch her full, one-on-one interview with KSAT here.
Bill Ruppel
Ruppel’s application lists his occupation as “TDI.”
Robert Salinas
Salinas’s application lists his occupation as an auto repair shop owner.
Michael “Sam” Samaniego
Samaniego is an Air Force veteran.
Mauricio Sanchez
Sanchez is the founder and chief investment officer of a wealth and capital management firm.
Sonia Traut
Traut is a retired U.S. Air Force service member.
Diane Flores Uriegas
Uriegas’s application lists her occupation as a housewife. She also ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2023.
Andrew Vicencio
Vicencio is a retired U.S. Army officer. He was one of 12 candidates for the District 2 council seat in 2021 — a race ultimately won by Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez.
Tim Westley
Westley is an education services specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense. He is also a U.S. Army veteran and a former pastor. He was the Republican candidate in Texas’ 15th Congressional District in 2016 and 2018, losing both times to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez Jr. He also ran in the 2022 Republican primary for Texas Land Commissioner but lost in the runoff.
Gerardo Zambrano
Zambrano’s application lists his application as an engineer.
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