Jane Davis and Luz Elena Chapa bring different perspectives to their campaigns for the county’s top criminal prosecutor.
SAN ANTONIO — While the Republican Primary runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate contest is drawing statewide attention as next week’s election approaches, another nomination will be clinched in the most high-stakes Bexar County runoff contest.
Democrats will choose between Luz Elena Chapa and Jane Davis in Tuesday’s runoff election for Bexar County district attorney. The winner will advance to face Republican Ashley Foster in November.
The race comes as longtime District Attorney Joe Gonzales prepares to retire later this year, having served in the role since 2019.
Eight Democrats initially entered the primary race before voters narrowed the field in March; Chapa collected 23.8% of the vote to lead the contenders, with Davis finishing second with 18.2%.
The two candidates bring different backgrounds to the role that functions as the chief pursuer of justice in Bexar County—and the leader of an office that oversees a team of more than 250 prosecutors and roughly 50,000 cases annually.
‘A different skillset’
Chapa was drawn to law from a young age, having visited the courtroom and interacted with judges as an 8-year-old girl when her parents navigated custody disputes.
After later graduating from St. Mary’s Law School, she practiced civil litigation and also represented families going through major injuries.
“A lot of those cases are very complex,” she said. “You really have to focus in on details, you have to focus on evidence, building strong cases to set your best foot forward.”
She later traded an attorney’s paperwork for a judge’s gavel, first running for the Fourth Court of Appeals in 2012. At the time, she says, Chapa was the youngest appellate judge in Texas.
It was a role she held for over a decade, until 2025. In that time, she authored more than 600 opinions in criminal cases. In a district attorney race in which she’s faced skepticism from fellow candidates for her lack of experience working as a criminal prosecutor, she says that experience gives her vital perspective.
“The role of district attorney requires a strong leader that has a different skill set,” Chapa said. “It’s not limited to the courtroom.”
Running to lead an office that has struggled to retain full prosecutor ranks, she says she would prioritize team-building and unity.
“I believe in valuing people and building relationships, building trust.”
Among other priorities, Chapa also wants to strengthen ties between the office and law enforcement while addressing domestic violence and pursuing additional funding sources for the office.
“Funding doesn’t stop only at the county,” Chapa said, pointing to her time on nonprofit boards. “We need to go to the city, we need to go to the state and we also need to knock doors at the national level.”
Chapa has also received key endorsements from the San Antonio Police Officers Association officers and Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputies Association, as well as former County Judge Nelson Wolff and Sheriff Javier Salazar.
DA’s office know-how
Democratic voters’ other option is Davis, another St. Mary’s Law alumna who grew up in a ranch family and has served in a variety of prosecutorial roles, including as an assistant DA for seven different district attorneys.
She touts her experience trying over 400 jury trials and her vast know-how of the district attorney’s office’s inner machinery, having worked in nearly every one of its sections. Currently, Davis leads the Juvenile Section.
“I know what every section can do and how to do it,” she said. “We need a strong DA who can come in on day one and know what to do, and not have to be coming in at an internship position.”
Davis said she wants to improve public safety reporting, create a citizen oversight panel to monitor cases, and keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accountable—including working with other DAs in the country to “combat rogue ICE agents” and the establishing of local detention centers.
She’s confident about the experience she brings. After all, it wasn’t until the filing deadline that she decided to run for DA because she wasn’t satisfied with others’ resumes.
As for her current boss, Gonzales, she said there are some traits of his administration she would retain and others she would improve.
“We need to build on what is good, but we need to have the wisdom and the courage to change what needs to be changed,” Davis said.
Friday marks the final day of early voting ahead of Tuesday’s primary runoff elections.