Posted on March 4, 2025 by Michelle Gaitan
A new voter survey from the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research (CPOR) highlights a lack of clarity among voters about who will become San Antonio’s next mayor. About 35% of voters are undecided and 20% are unfamiliar with any of the 27 candidates running to replace Ron Nirenberg in the May 3, 2025 election.
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A new voter survey from the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research (CPOR) highlights a lack of clarity among voters about who will become San Antonio’s next mayor. About 35% of voters are undecided and 20% are unfamiliar with any of the 27 candidates running to replace Ron Nirenberg in the May 3, 2025 election.
However, the survey also identified seven candidates who are leading the field, each securing more than 3% of voter support. In the lead are Gina Ortiz Jones with just over 9%, John Courage with close to 8% and Manny Pelaez with more than 5%.
Support ranging from 3% to just under 4% is held by Melissa Cabello Havrda, Beto Altamirano, Adriana Rocha Garcia and Clayton Perry. Apart from Tim Westley who earned 1.6%, the other 19 candidates each drew less than 1%.
"With a majority of voters undecided, the mayor's race is still wide open,” said Bryan Gervais, UTSA associate professor of political science and CPOR director. “Familiarity with candidates is low, and so a lot of it will come down to which candidates are able to raise their profile and name recognition over the next several months. It could very well be the case that other candidates outside of the group of seven are able to build their profiles and join or surpass members of this group."
The February CPOR poll queried 683 San Antonio likely voters to gain their thoughts and opinions about the upcoming mayoral race. CPOR also asked the likely voters about downtown redevelopment, VIA’s Rapid Green Line, crime and safety, and trust in all levels of government. The poll was administered in English and Spanish and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8%.
— Michelle Gaitan
Read the full story on UTSA Today
Read the survey brief here.
