By Edmond Ortiz
San Antonio-area voters taking part in the Nov. 3 midterm elections will face a multitude of contested races for local Congressional, state legislative and countywide seats.
Below is a rundown of key contested elections affecting Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe and Kendall counties.
BEXAR COUNTY
Ron Nirenberg surprised local pundits when he chose to challenge first-term incumbent Peter Sakai for the Democratic nomination for county judge barely one year after he ended an eight-year run as San Antonio mayor.
Yet in last March’s primary, 62% of Democratic voters backed Nirenberg, whose campaign has emphasized being proactive and building partnerships to bolster Bexar County’s justice system, public safety, affordable housing, economic development, healthcare access, transportation, road infrastructure, as well as protecting natural resources, and ensuring free, fair elections.
Nirenberg’s Republican opponent, Patrick Von Dohlen, is a financial advisor and a past San Antonio City Council contestant. His campaign is centered on enhancing working relationships between the county and municipalities, federal agencies, military commands and regional authorities.
Von Dohlen is also advocating a focus on core county services, fostering economic development through growth management, the local military presence, and a business-friendly regulatory environment.
The quest for criminal district attorney is a three-way affair among Democrat Luz Elena Chapa, a former Fourth Court of Appeals judge, Republican Ashley Foster, a former assistant district attorney, and independent Jason Wolff, a criminal defense attorney.
Chapa has focused her campaign on issues such as fully funding the DA’s office, advocating for victims of crime, cutting the backlog of unprosecuted domestic violence cases, and repairing a fractured relationship between the DA’s office and local law enforcement agencies.
Foster said the outgoing DA, Joe Gonzales, is leaving behind an unsettled office where he sought to experiment with untested legal theories.
Foster has pledged to use her experience prosecuting thousands of felony cases to reduce a case backlog. She also has promised to launch a year-round training academy covering trial advocacy, evidence law, ethics, digital evidence handling, and trauma-informed practices.
Wolff is a former assistant district attorney and county court-at-law judge who currently works for Calfas Law Firm. He is campaigning for greater transparency, and to put a stop to politics at the DA’s office. The Bexar County Republican Party unsuccessfully tried to sue him in an effort to knock him off the ballot, claiming irregularities in his petition drive to get run as an independent.
CONGRESS
Universal City resident Carlos De La Cruz, a U.S. Air Force veteran and business owner, and Democrat Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy, are vying to represent a redrawn Congressional District 35, which stretches into deep South Texas.
A political newcomer, De La Cruz has appealed to supporters of President Trump, pledging to focus on matters such as border security, law enforcement, economy, veterans’ affairs and energy.
A San Antonio native, Garcia is campaigning on issues such as affordability, boosting workforce development and apprenticeship programs, reining in data centers, fighting corruption, protecting social assistance programs, and bolstering public safety. He also backs comprehensive immigration reform that includes border security, pathways to citizenship, and work visas that meet economic needs.
Democrat Joaquin Castro, Congressional District 20 representative, is challenged by Republican attorney Edgardo Rafael Baez.
Castro is seeking an eighth term in office. He has been vocal on issues such as immigrants’ rights, and was vital in helping to get improperly-detained migrant children and their families released from the Dilley, Texas detention facility.
Baez is a military veteran and past critical care nurse who says conservative leadership is needed on a range of issues, from infrastructure and education to public safety and the economy.
Mark Teixeira, a Republican and a former Texas Rangers baseball star, will face San Antonian Kristin Hook, a Democrat and former teacher and government scientist, in a match for an open Congressional District 21 post.
Based in Dripping Springs, Texas, Teixeira promotes many talking points of social and economic conservatives, including border security, illegal immigration, crime, foreign policy and gun rights.
Hook favors such things as expanding Social Security and Medicare, reforming the tax code, helping small businesses, widening healthcare access, comprehensive immigration reform, strengthening voting rights, protecting natural resources, and investing in public schools.
Republican and Helotes entrepreneur Brandon Herrera Democrat and San Antonio attorney Katy Padilla Stout, and independent Ben Mendoza are vying for the open Congressional District 23 seat.
Stout advocates a fairer tax code, protecting social welfare programs, improving affordability and healthcare access, protecting reproductive rights, strengthening gun safety laws, comprehensive immigration reform, and opposing a border wall.
A firearms manufacturer, attorney, and a former teacher, Herrera’s campaign themes include border security, gun rights, helping veterans, and advancing Trump’s political objectives.
Known as “The AK Guy” on his YouTube channel, Herrera recently came under fire for online comments that he has made about women and children. He also drew criticism in some circles for calling the American Rifle Association too soft in addressing bipartisan gun control proposals.
Mendoza previously worked for Time and Newsweek magazines, and has run for different public offices, including Congress and El Paso mayor.
STATE SENATE
Republican and South Side native Marcus Cardenas is challenging Democrat and District 19 State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose Senate district covers parts of Bexar, Guadalupe and Atascosa counties, and stretches to multiple Southwest Texas counties.
A local business owner, Cardenas has been campaigning on themes such as public safety, economic development, public safety, education, and proper infrastructure.
Gutierrez is a past member of San Antonio City Council and the Texas House of Representatives. Among other issues, he has prioritized mental health programs, especially those dedicated to serving military veterans.
Gutierrez also pushed the state to launch a crisis call center that extends emotional and legal support to survivors of sexual assault. Additionally, he was instrumental in pressing for improved gun safety, law enforcement accountability, and support for survivors and their families in the wake of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.
District 21 State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Laredoan, is being challenged by Sutherland Springs Republican Julie Dahlberg, an Army veteran and business owner.
Dahlberg’s campaign priorities include reducing business regulations, eliminating property taxes, zero-based budgeting, electoral reform, term limits, and gun and property rights.
If re-elected, Zaffirini will enter her 40th year in the Texas Senate. Her 2027 platform includes backing free community college job training programs, infrastructure construction, higher minimum wages, worker safety programs, raising public school funding, and widening access to affordable healthcare.
STATE HOUSE
District 116 State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat and attorney, is being challenged by Republican Rhett Smith. Fischer has served District 116 since 2019, and occupied the same office between 2001 and 2017. Smith is a security professional who has previously run for various local public offices.
Democrat Philip Cortez, seeking a sixth term as the District 117 state representative, is being challenged by Republican Ben Mostyn, a realtor and Army veteran. District 117 covers Far West San Antonio and Bexar County, and parts of the far Southwest Side.
The Texas House District 118 post is up for grabs between Republican Jorge Borrego, who has been a realtor and a policy analyst, and Democrat and community organizer Kristian Carranza, a native South Sider who lost to outgoing state lawmaker John Lujan in the 2024 general election. District 118 runs from the far Northeast and East sides through far South Side communities.
Democratic incumbent Elizabeth “Liz” Campos of Texas House District 119 is facing opposition from Republican Melva Perez, a retired Army officer. District 119 runs through part of the Northeast Side, Converse, and some East and Southeast side neighborhoods.
Republican incumbent and attorney Marc LaHood of Texas House District 121 is being challenged by Democratic attorney Zack Dunn. District 121 includes the Alamo Heights and Stone Oak areas and runs along U.S. 281 north into the Hill Country.
District 122 State Rep. Mark Dorazio, a Republican, is being opposed by Democrat and physician Shelly Nickels. District 122 covers a wide swath of north and northwest Bexar County and San Antonio, and includes Shavano Park, Grey Forest, Helotes, Hill Country Village and Hollywood Park.
Democrat Josey Garcia, District 124 state representative, will face opposition from Republican Sylvia Soto, a lector at Mission San Jose, and a teacher. Garcia is the first active-duty military member to serve in the Texas House of Representatives.
Democrat and educator Adrian Reyna and Republican entrepreneur Ricardo “Rick” Martinez are contending for the open Texas House District 125 seat where Ray Lopez is retiring.
Democrat and Round Rock resident Kelly Hall is challenging District 19 State Rep. Ellen Troxclair, a Marble Falls Republican, realtor and ex-Austin City Council member. District 19 includes Kendall County
The race for State House District 44 involves Republican incumbent and McQueeney resident Alan Schoolcraft and Democrat and Seguin small business owner Eric Norman. District 44 includes Guadalupe County.
District 73 State Rep. Carrie Isaac, a nonprofit executive, is being opposed by Democrat Merrie Fox, an educator and executive director of New Braunfels’ Circle Arts Theatre. District 73 includes Comal County.
WHEN AND WHERE TO VOTE
Early voting in Bexar County will be held 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 19-23, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 26-30, and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 25 at 56 voting stations. Election Day polling locations will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Early voting in Guadalupe County will take place from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 19-23, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 26-30, and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 25 at the following locations. Election Day polling locations will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Early voting in Kendall County will be available from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 19-23, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 26-30, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Kendall County Courthouse Annex, 221 Fawn Valley Drive in Boerne. Election Day balloting will be offered 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 10 locations.
Early voting in Comal County will be held 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19-23, and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 24 and 26-30, and noon-6 p.m. Oct. 25 across six locations. Election Day polling will be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at 26 voting stations.
