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Local Races that Matter
UPDATE, 10:45 p.m.: Incumbent Rebeca Clay-Flores defeated her challenger, Amanda Gonzalez, in the Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 1 race.
Clay-Flores took the race by a margin of 63% to 37%.
Gonzalez conceded the race shortly after 8 p.m.
“We ran a campaign about the issues, and we talked about what was lacking in this position,” she told KSAT. “This was the first time running for office and embarking on this journey, and it takes you everywhere. When it comes to showing the community what type of representation, of course, the odds were against me. But, now looking at it full spectrum, we just gotta make sure when people are advocating or running for office and saying that they have people-driven campaigns or saying that they’re not going to take special interests, that we hold them accountable.”
Clay-Flores did not mince words in remarks during her victory speech.
“My opponent and the sheriff deputy association, however, chose to do a smear campaign and used mean girl tactics and outrageous lies to harass me and my volunteers at the polls,” she said. “The sheriff deputy’s association wanted a woman whom they could control as their political pawn. Apparently, my constituents let their voices be heard and they decided they want this woman.”
Clay-Flores will face the only Republican candidate, Lina Prado, in the November election.
Votes
%
Rebeca Clay-Flores*(D)
Amanda Gonzalez(D)
(248 / 248)
Background
A field of six was narrowed to two in the March primary election and now the Democratic runoff in the Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 1 race leaves incumbent Rebeca Clay-Flores and challenger Dr. Amanda Gonzalez to face off on May 28.
Gonzalez captured 20% of the vote in March while Clay-Flores had 46.1% of the vote, not enough to win the primary outright.
Both candidates are highly educated and have experience in nonprofit work.
Clay-Flores studied religion and African-American studies at Princeton University before earning her Master’s in Education from Harvard University.
Gonzalez has a Political Science degree from Baylor University, a Master of Arts in International Relations from St. Mary’s University and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership Policy from Texas Tech.
Rebeca Clay-Flores
Before she was elected to the Commissioner’s Court, Clay-Flores was a special projects manager for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
She has said that experiencing homelessness in her childhood made her grateful for everything.
Clay-Flores said she’s proud of the work she’s done in the county and will continue to fight for her constituents.
“We will continue to advocate for a mental health facility that doesn’t serve, only Precinct 1, but all of Bexar County. And, of course, we have a lot of people who come in also from our rural areas, and we will continue to advocate for better jobs and infrastructure in Precinct 1,” she said.
Ahead of the March Primary, Clay-Flores told KSAT that she challenges the notion that she has not been accessible to constituents.
“Not a single constituent has complained to me about that because I am accessible, and I am responsive,” she said. “So, you know, because I’ve done such a good job in my first term, I guess it’s the only thing that my opponents could come up with. So it’s a lie.”
Clay-Flores has twice been endorsed by the Texas Organizing Project, a progressive political advocacy group that has backed efforts in recent years that would have stripped San Antonio police officers of their collective bargaining rights (Prop B), and a second measure that would have expanded cite and release and decriminalized marijuana possession here (Prop A).
Prop B was narrowly defeated in 2021, while Prop A was defeated by a large margin last year.
“One of the things that’s really needed in Precinct 1 is better dialogue and community engagement in law enforcement presence,” said Clay-Flores.
Amanda Gonzalez
Amanda Gonzalez resigned from Blue Cares, the nonprofit arm of the San Antonio Police Officers’ Association, earlier this year to run for Bexar County Precinct 1 commissioner.
Despite Gonzalez’s association with the group, SAPOA did not endorse her (or Clay-Flores) in the Precinct 1 race. She was endorsed, however, by the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County.
Gonzalez said the public safety is one of her top priorities as is helping homeowners lower their tax bill.
She also cites housing, sidewalks, and flooding as concerns across the precinct.
“A lot of these issues can be resolved on the county level if we have better and more efficient representation,” she told KSAT ahead of the March Primary.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary runoff will face the only Republican candidate Lina Prado in the November election.
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