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Ron Nirenberg Launches Bid for Bexar County Judge, Setting Up Challenge to Peter Sakai

The former San Antonio mayor enters the March 3 Democratic primary on a platform targeting jail crowding, DA case backlogs, duplicate services.

Overview

  • Nirenberg formally announced his campaign at Backyard on Broadway, joined by former County Judge Nelson Wolff, state Sen. Trey Martinez Fischer, Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and treasurer Jorge Herrera.
  • He said the county’s overcrowded jail and staffing strains require a new facility and criticized the use of one-time dollars as fiscal pressures mount.
  • He pledged to eliminate redundancies by aligning city and county programs, citing competing downtown affordable housing plans as an example.
  • Sakai responded by touting his record on jobs, housing and public safety and accused Nirenberg of dividing local Democrats.
  • The Democratic primary is March 3, 2026, and recent UTSA polling shows Nirenberg with higher approval and name recognition than Sakai.