Despite concerns she may have racked up early-campaign missteps, Gina Ortiz Jones will become San Antonio’s first openly gay mayor and only the third woman to hold the office. Jones — who served as Under Secretary of the Air Force during the Biden Administration — beat Rolando Pablos, a former Texas Secretary of State aligned with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, 54%-46% in Saturday’s runoff election. A two-time South Texas Democratic congressional candidate, Jones painted herself as a progressive eager to protect the Alamo City from the clutches of Abbott and President Donald Trump. She also promised to grow Pre-K for SA and expand broadband internet access in poor neighborhoods while showing a wariness about spending public funds on Project Marvel, the city’s proposed downtown sports-and-entertainment district.
