Nirenberg, the Democrat in the contest, reported having about 12 times as much money as his Republican opponent entering July.
SAN ANTONIO — Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg enters the final months of his first county judge campaign with a far bigger war chest to draw from than his opponent, longtime financial advisor Patrick Von Dohlen.
Nirenberg raised more than $210,000 from Feb. 22 through June 30, according to semi-annual campaign finance reports filed this month; that period of time covered his Democratic Primary victory over incumbent Peter Sakai. Nirenberg’s haul included about $160,000 in reported monetary donations.
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Von Dohlen, the Republican who ran unopposed in his party’s primary, raised just under $188,000 dollars over the first six months of the year, about $16,000 of which was cash contributions to his campaign, per finance reports. The other $172,310.10 were in-kind donations in the form of campaign consulting, public relations and accounting services, including a $53,100 contribution from a political action committee tied to the San Antonio Family Association, which Von Dohlen cofounded.
Nirenberg also vastly outspent Von Dohlen over the first half of the year – $414,984.29 to $13,037.13 – partially reflecting the March primary battle he won with 62% of the vote, bringing the end of Sakai’s time in office into view.
And though about $22,000 separated the two general election candidates in terms of money raised since the start of the year, Nirenberg entered July with about 12 times on hand, thanks to the roughly $358,000 raised in the first weeks of his campaign, which launched in November. Nirenberg’s campaign reported having nearly $66,600 on hand compared to Von Dohlen’s roughly $5,400 available to use.
The Bexar County judge is the chief financial manager for the county and not a judicial position, despite the name’s implications. It presides over the five-person Commissioners Court, which makes decisions related to the Bexar County jail, elections office, and other countywide entities.
Voters haven’t elected a Republican to fill the roll since Cyndi Taylor Krier, who served from 1993 to 2001.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
About the candidates
Nirenberg served as mayor of San Antonio from 2017 to 2025, steering it through the pandemic and the initial stages of planning for the downtown sports and entertainment district still in the works. He has touted that mayoral experience in the early stages of his run for judge, telling KENS 5 there has been a lack of collaboration between Bexar County and its cities.
“What I am looking at doing is being a more collaborative leader for the county,” he said. “And making sure we stop being so reactive to issues, take some initiative and be proactive with the challenges we are facing.”
Von Dohlen – a Goliad native, financial advisor and son of a longtime Texas state representative – has run for San Antonio City Council three times in the past and is still seeking his first electoral victory, but he increased his share of the vote in each of those council bids.
He told KENS 5 he wants to utilize his financial background to stabilize the county’s financial situation through “results-based budgeting,” having criticized Sakai and the Commissioners Court for spending money on what he called “pet projects.”
“We’re gonna have to reexamine some things because there’s been mismanagement, there’s been oversight,” Von Dohlen said. “Whether you’re asleep at the wheel or neglecting it for whatever reason, we have to take that into account and reexamine everything in every department.”