The Republican candidate for Bexar County judge’s path to his campaign began decades ago, in the hunting grounds around Goliad, Texas.
SAN ANTONIO — The race for Bexar County judge will heat up in the coming months, and whoever wins in November will be new to the seat after Judge Peter Sakai’s primary loss to Ron Nirenberg.
Nirenberg, the Democratic candidate, is a familiar face in San Antonio-area politics, having served for eight years as mayor. His opponent, Patrick Von Dohlen, has spent years building a life rooted in family, faith, public service and his upbringing on a ranch in South Texas.
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Long before he was an Aggie, a financial adviser or the Republican candidate for Bexar County judge, Von Dohlen was a 5-year-old boy growing up in Goliad, Texas, where he learned to hunt on his family’s ranch.
“My life was surrounded around the ranch,” he said. “Raising cattle, then hunting and fishing around it.”
Von Dohlen said he spent much of his childhood with a great-aunt and great-uncle who did not have children of their own.
“I spent most of my time with them,” he said. “They would pick me up from school almost every day and we’d go down to the ranch.”
There, he learned about making a steady shot.
But the lessons went far beyond hunting game.
“You learn about biology, you learn about anatomy, you learn about different types of grass, different types of trees,” he said. “We have those conversations you wouldn’t normally have if you’re just stuck inside of a house.”
Von Dohlen has since continued that education with his own children—all nine of them. Each has partaken in the family tradition of learning their way through a hunt, and Von Dohlen carries a note of pride in his voice when he mentions each killed their first deer with one shot.
Most were just 7 or 8 years old, he says.
The experience has also taught him something about parenting.
“A lot of people say the family that prays together stays together, and I completely agree with that,” Von Dohlen said. “I also say the family that hunts together stays together, because you go and do stuff and interact in a way that’s not typical in your everyday life.”
‘How the West was won’
In San Antonio, a mercantile shop and indoor shooting range represents something key to Von Dohlen’s upbringing and personal ethos: “The right, and actually the duty, to defend yourself and your family and your property.”
He said the shooting range represents a way of life he takes pride in.
“You learn to be precise. You learn to pay attention to detail,” Von Dohlen said. “This is how the West was won, was through the use of firearms.”
Under the guidance of a former San Antonio police officer, Von Dohlen walked through the basics of handling and firing a handgun. The skills he learned growing up – patient, precision and attention to detail – have stayed with him.
“That passion, that love for something basic to what it means to be an American, especially a Texan, is integral to me,” he said.
A family tradition of public service
If hunting is one Von Dohlen family tradition, public service is another.
“My grandfather was on the school board. I had an uncle on the school board, another uncle was a county commissioner,” he said.
Then there’s his father. Timothy Von Dohlen served in the Texas Legislature for 14 years.
That means Von Dohlen got familiar first with waving signs on the sidewalk to rally support for his dad, and later with feeling his way through the halls of the Texas Capitol.
“The Capitol was my playground growing up, way before they had all the security they do now,” he said.
His own path toward public service took root at Texas A&M University, where he was involved with the Corps of Cadets, which bills itself as the “largest and most recognizable student organization” on campus. It sports a military-leadership model, though there are no military obligation tied to participating.
Von Dohlen joined the Navy Marines regiment of the corps, which he referred to as “keepers of the tradition” as Texas A&M.
“The way you hold yourself to the leadership skills you develop mostly through service, that was integral to who I am now,” he says. “And that goes back to that life of service I grew up with.”
A familiar place
Von Dohlen is no stranger to political campaigns.
He has run unsuccessfully for San Antonio City Council three times over the past decade, increasing his share of the vote each time.
But he doesn’t view those campaigns as failures.
“I’m probably one of the best at getting back up, dusting myself off, beginning again each and every day to improve my life,” he said. “Improve who I am.”
Now, he is running for the first time for Bexar County judge.
For Von Dohlen, the campaign is another extension of the values he says have guided his life—family, faith, service and a willingness to keep learning.
“I want the best for my children, I want the best for each and every person in Bexar County,” he said.
He said winning elections is not ultimately what motivates him.
“The victories are icing on the cake. The cake is what we do with our life — how we improve it, how we help other people,” Von Dohlen said.
At shooting range, Von Dohlen is quick to make sure someone new to handling firearms gets a comfortable feel for the sport before he takes to aiming down the sights himself. The stream of advice is regular.
“Keep the muzzle pointed downrange.”
“Take your time on each shot.”
“Work on squeezing the trigger.”
“One of the best things you can do is control your breathing.”
With each suggestion, it becomes increasingly clear how naturally the Aggie who served and taught his children would later want to serve and teach his community.
“One of the best examples I can give my children is that they saw I didn’t change the person I was just because the race didn’t come out my way,” he said. “I believe in Walt Disney’s philosophy: Ain’t it fun doing the impossible?”