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Democratic candidates in Bexar County judicial races unchallenged by Republicans in 2024 election

This year ballot reveals a lineup of uncontested Democratic candidates.

SAN ANTONIOFind more election coverage on the Vote 2024 page.

For the first time, no Republican candidates are challenging incumbent judges in Bexar County’s district courts in the November general election, marking a shift in the county’s judicial races.

A sample ballot reveals a lineup of uncontested Democratic candidates, a phenomenon UTSA Political Science Chair Jon Taylor calls a familiar blue wave of judicial seats that has also happened in other bigger Texas counties.

According to Taylor, this trend has gained momentum over the last six years in Bexar County.

“This goes back to 2018, when the Republican wipeout in Bexar County began,” Taylor said. “It culminated in 2022 when essentially whatever Republican presence remained in the judiciary was lost, apart from vacancies filled by Governor Greg Abbott.”

In the 2018 election, six incumbent Republican district court judges lost their seats in Bexar County.

By 2022, four district court positions and two county judge seats turned blue.

Taylor notes that while this “blue wave” reflects the political landscape in Bexar County, it doesn’t necessarily represent the state as a whole.

“In other parts of Texas, state district courts, state courts of appeals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals remain predominantly red,” Taylor said. “It’s a strange situation we’re in — Bexar County is a heavily blue area within a traditionally red state, at least when it comes to the state judiciary.”

Currently, Bexar County’s Fourth Court of Appeals, which also serves 31 other counties, has three contested races.

While these appellate seats could alter the balance in the Fourth Court of Appeals, Taylor believes that the blue wave in district and county courts is here to stay.

“I don’t see this trend changing anytime soon,” he said. “It would be a minor miracle for Republicans to show a strong sense of competition in Bexar County’s judiciary right now.”


About the Authors
Erica Hernandez headshot

Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories.

Misael Gomez headshot

Misael started at KSAT-TV as a photojournalist in 1987.

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