{"id":462821,"date":"2026-10-11T08:24:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T08:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/462821\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T08:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T08:24:27","slug":"bexar-county-will-elect-a-new-generation-of-leaders-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/462821\/","title":{"rendered":"Bexar County will elect a new generation of leaders in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is part of the\u00a0San Antonio Report\u2019s 2026 Voter Guide<\/a>. You can view all of the candidates on the Nov. 3 ballot\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bexar County is on track to elect a new generation of leaders in 2026, thanks to turnover in two top countywide offices.<\/p>\n

Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai lost his primary<\/a> after just a single term in the county\u2019s chief executive role, and District Attorney Joe Gonzales is retiring after eight years<\/a> as the county\u2019s top prosecutor.<\/p>\n

While Texas Republicans haven\u2019t lost a statewide office in more than three decades, when it comes to the local level, Democrats are the reigning champions.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve controlled every countywide office for more than a decade, and hope to keep that going with former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg<\/a> as their nominee for Bexar County Judge, and former appellate judge Luz Elena Chapa<\/a> as their candidate for District Attorney.<\/p>\n

Both face Republican challengers who are underdogs on the Nov. 3 ballot, and could hold the roles for many years in a blue county.<\/p>\n

Mark your calendar: San Antonio Report\u2019s Bexar County Judge debate on Oct. 15<\/a><\/p>\n

Unlike the city, where the City Council hires the police chief and top administrators, the county\u2019s top law enforcement officials and record-keepers are elected positions.<\/p>\n

They serve four-year terms, and most of them are on the ballot this November, including the District Attorney, Bexar County Clerk and Bexar County District Clerk. <\/p>\n

Early voting<\/a> runs Oct. 19-30. Use this tool to download a copy of your sample ballot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Candidates are listed in the order they\u2019ll appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.<\/p>\n

Voter guide profiles are compiled using candidates\u2019 filing paperwork, campaign materials and past news coverage.\u00a0Click the links below to read more about the candidates.<\/p>\n

Bexar County Commissioners Court<\/p>\n

All of Texas\u2019 254 counties are governed by a five-member Commissioners Court, led by a county judge and four county commissioners who represent different geographic precincts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t get as much attention as mayors and city councils, in part because they don\u2019t have as much authority as home-rule cities, which can create ordinances and oversee zoning.<\/p>\n

Instead, counties are arms of the state, responsible for managing state duties like the criminal justice system, running elections, maintaining public records and rural infrastructure. <\/p>\n

Typically that means fewer clashes with state leaders, but in recent years, both Democrats and Republicans have been targeting these normally sleepy roles to elevate bigger political agendas.<\/p>\n

For example, a Republican county judge in Tarrant County reduced voting locations<\/a> for the 2026 midterm election, while a progressive Democrat in Harris County tried to create<\/a> a guaranteed income program. <\/p>\n

Read more: Why county government is becoming a political battleground<\/a><\/p>\n

Bexar County Commissioners Court<\/a> is dominated by Democrats, and its members serve staggered four-year terms. <\/p>\n

The Bexar County Judge, Precinct 2 and Precinct 4 commissioner positions are all on the Nov. 3 ballot, while Precinct 1 and 3 commissioners<\/a> will be up in 2028, along with the Bexar County sheriff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bexar County Judge<\/p>\n

Bexar County just subbed in a new top leader to replace longtime Judge Nelson Wolff in 2022, but Wolff\u2019s successor, Democrat Peter Sakai<\/a>, lasted just one term before losing his primary<\/a> to former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nirenberg is now heavily favored to carry a blue county in November, where he faces Republican Patrick Von Dohlen<\/a>, a longtime conservative activist. <\/p>\n

Sakai is serving out the remainder of his term, which ends in December.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Bexar County Judge<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Patrick Von Dohlen <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tPatrick Von Dohlen is a conservative activist who runs the San Antonio Family Association PAC.<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Ron Nirenberg <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tRon Nirenberg was San Antonio’s mayor from 2017 to 2025, and previously managed Trinity University’s radio station.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

Bexar County Precinct 2 Commissioner<\/p>\n

Commissioner Justin Rodriguez<\/a> (Pct. 2) a Democrat, has represented Precinct 2<\/a> on the county\u2019s West Side since 2019, when then-Judge Nelson Wolff appointed him to replace the late Commissioner Paul Elizondo<\/a>. <\/p>\n

He\u2019s seeking reelection and faces Republican challenger David Sherwood Hill<\/a>, a political newcomer, in November.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Bexar County Pct. 2 Commissioner<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t David Sherwood Hill <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tDavid Sherwood Hill is an Air Force veteran who owns his own artificial intelligence company.<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Justin Rodriguez <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tJustin Rodriguez is an attorney who has served on the Commissioners Court since 2019.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner<\/p>\n

Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert<\/a> (Pct. 4), a Democrat who has held the seat since 2014, is the court\u2019s longest-serving member. <\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t draw a Republican opponent this year, and instead he faces a challenge from an independent candidate, Roy Anthony II<\/a>, who ran for San Antonio City Council last year.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Bexar County Pct. 4 Commissioner<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Tommy Calvert <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tTommy Calvert is the longest-serving member of the Bexar County Commissioners Court, first elected in 2014. <\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Roy Anthony II <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tRoy Anthony II is an apartment leasing consultant who serves on the board of the Northeast Neighborhood Alliance.<\/p>\n

Independent<\/p>\n

Bexar County District Attorney<\/p>\n

District Attorney Joe Gonzales is retiring after eight years<\/a> as the county\u2019s top prosecutor. He was known for progressive justice reforms that voters seemed to reject <\/a>even in the Democratic primary this year.<\/p>\n

Democrats chose<\/a> their nominee, former Fourth Court of Appeals Justice Luz Elena Chapa<\/a>, over a field of eight candidates<\/a> with more prosecutorial experience, including one of Gonzales\u2019 top lieutenants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Republicans just had one candidate sign up for the job, former prosecutor Ashley Foster<\/a>, plus a former Republican judge who is running as an independent, Jason Wolff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Candidates for Bexar County DA<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Ashley Foster <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tAshley Foster spent more than a decade with the DA’s office as a felony prosecutor.<\/p>\n

Republican<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Luz Elena Chapa <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tLuz Elena Chapa served on the 4th Court of Appeals until 2024 and has since worked as a visiting judge.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Jason Wolff <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tJason Wolff is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who was previously elected judge as a Republican.<\/p>\n

Independent<\/p>\n

Bexar County District Clerk<\/p>\n

The district clerk is in charge of maintaining records and filings for the county\u2019s roughly two dozen district courts \u2014 something that offices across the state have started offering online to varying degrees.<\/p>\n

This year Bexar County is swapping someone new into the role, after incumbent Democrat Gloria Martinez<\/a> lost her primary<\/a> to Christine \u201cChris\u201d Castillo<\/a>, who is unopposed in the November election.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Bexar County District Clerk<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Christine Castillo <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tChristine “Chris” Castillo worked in the Bexar County District Clerk’s office for 33 years before retiring in 2019.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n

Bexar County Clerk<\/p>\n

The county clerk is the official custodian of important public and legal documents for the county, and Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark<\/a>, a Democrat, is running unopposed for a third term. <\/p>\n

She fended off a primary challenger in a runoff<\/a> this year but did not draw a Republican opponent.<\/p>\n

2026 candidates for Bexar County Clerk<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Lucy Adame-Clark <\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tLucy Adame-Clark started her career in the Sheriff\u2019s Office and has served as Bexar County Clerk since 2018.<\/p>\n

Democrat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story is part of the\u00a0San Antonio Report\u2019s 2026 Voter Guide. You can view all of the candidates…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[25661,28944,8519,62503,698,75675,12939,28945,75676,61173,46682,33696,112924,39660,8774,82,84,83,4044],"class_list":["post-462821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-2026-bexar-county-district-attorney-race","tag-2026-bexar-county-judge-race","tag-2026-election","tag-ashley-foster","tag-bexar-county","tag-bexar-county-clerk","tag-bexar-county-district-attorney","tag-bexar-county-judge","tag-christine-chris-castillo","tag-justin-rodriguez","tag-lucy-adame-clark","tag-luz-elena-chapa","tag-november-2026-elections","tag-patrick-von-dohlen","tag-ron-nirenberg","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-tommy-calvert"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}