He’s expected to officially launch his campaign this weekend, putting him on a Democratic Primary collision course with Judge Peter Sakai.
SAN ANTONIO — Just five months removed from departing as San Antonio mayor, Ron Nirenberg is inching closer to the starting line of his next political pursuit: the office of Bexar County judge.
As Nirenberg teases a “big announcement” to be revealed at a Saturday gathering, records show he filed a campaign treasurer appointment with the county’s elections office on Monday—traditionally the first step in preparing to run for elected office. That document confirms he’s seeking the position of county judge, which presides over the five-member Bexar County Commissioners Court.
Saturday’s announcement at Backyard on Broadway is expected to mark the official launch to his campaign. Having stumped for the Harris-Walz presidential ticket in 2024, he’s expected to run as a Democrat—putting him on a March primary collision course with incumbent Peter Sakai, who recently launches his re-election campaign for a second term.
Sakai himself all but appeared to confirm Nirenberg’s plans in an Oct. 17 Facebook post in which he said that “at one point Ron’s bags were packed for D.C.”
“At one point he was running for governor, then senator,” Sakai said in that post. “It’s clear Ron never found the greener pastures he dreamed of. I, on the other hand, am not searching for something to do. We’re doing it.”
Sakai, who is two years into his first term as county judge, went on to say it was “disappointing that some would rather start fights within our Democratic Party than work together to lift up our community.”
That post had the air of an early opening statement to a re-election campaign, which Sakai formally launched earlier this month at a west-side event.
“My energy and focus will continue to be on making sure we have the ability in this community to achieve our goals, as a collective but also as individuals,” Nirenberg told KENS 5 last week at the San Antonio Spurs’ watch party for Proposition B.
Thus far, county records show Nirenberg is the only person seeking the position of Bexar County judge who has appointed a campaign treasurer.
This is a developing story.