Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai all but confirmed in a Facebook post that San Antonio’s former mayor plans to seek his seat.
SAN ANTONIO — Among the various dignitaries who appeared at the Spurs’ election night watch party Tuesday – from Peter J. Holt and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to the Spurs Coyote himself – was a former city leader who may be planning a return to the campaign trail.
Ron Nirenberg, who has shifted from City Hall to the classroom since departing the mayor’s office five months ago, told KENS 5 at the River North Icehouse party that an announcement about his political future is expected to be made soon.
”I know there’s been a lot of chatter. I don’t have anything to announce tonight, but I will next week,” said Nirenberg, who served as San Antonio mayor for eight years. “My hope, my energy and my focus has always been on the improvement of this city, making sure that people and families in this community have an opportunity to thrive.”
Less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday evening, Nirenberg shared details for a Nov. 15 event at Backyard on Broadway where he’ll make a “big announcement.”
There have been clues about what his aspirations could be.
The former mayor told KENS 5 last month he was “considering” a run for Bexar County judge, which anchors the Commissioners Court and is currently held by fellow Democrat Peter Sakai. 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 last weekend 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 on Tuesday.
Nirenberg stumped for the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz ticket in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential contest, traveling to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention and calling Texas a “battleground state.”
Donald Trump would eventually win a second term in the Oval Office, carrying Texas by 14 points.
Should Nirenberg announce his plans to run for Bexar County judge, it would set up a Democratic Primary showdown with Sakai in March. Whoever wins the general election next November would take office Jan. 1, 2027.
Nirenberg was one of the architects of San Antonio’s downtown sports and entertainment district dreams, headlined by plans for a new Spurs arena—plans which have hit a new gear after voters approved funding for the venue expected to cost $1.3 billion. He called Tuesday’s result “important for the psyche of a community” and “one of those moments that San Antonio will be talking about for a long, long time.”
In his farewell address in June, Nirenberg noted lowering homelessness and crime rates during his time in office, as well as the creation of his Ready to Work job development initiative.