Editor’s Note: The following is a press release from a newsletter by the Texas Organizing Project about the mayoral victory of Gina Ortiz Jones in San Antonio. One of the lessons in this victory is the power of working in coalitions that are respected in the communities.
For immediate release: Saturday, June 7, 2025
Contact: Daniel Barrera, (214) 957-6234, dbarrera@organizetexas.org
San Antonio community and labor groups power Gina Ortiz Jones to victory in San Antonio
The following statement is from Dr. Doshie Piper, Board Co-President of Texas Organizing Project (TOP), in response to the group helping Gina Ortiz Jones win election as the next mayor of San Antonio:
“San Antonio voters made clear tonight they are hungry for people-powered progressive leadership at City Hall.
“They also said no to Gov. Greg Abbott and his big dollar PACs that pumped fear-mongering into this race. Right-wing groups spent over $2.1 million dollars to prop up their candidate, who was ultimately defeated. This once again shows how at the end of the day, it’s meaningful door-to-door conversations with voters that wins elections.
“In the span of three weeks, TOP PAC’s voter engagement program worked in conjunction with a roster of community and labor allies to make over 28,000 door knocks across San Antonio — reaching out to predominantly Black and Latino households that too often are ignored by traditional political campaigns. This election win would not have been possible without the hard work of our partners ACT4SA Action PAC, AFSCME San Antonio Local 2021, UNITE HERE Local 23, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, San Antonio Alliance, LIUNA Local 1095, and Texas Majority PAC.
“Understanding how much is on the line for San Antonians this election — from protecting our rights, to improving neighborhood infrastructure, to making housing and childcare more affordable — TOP PAC is in the streets of working Black and Latino neighborhoods pushing for the political and policy shifts our communities deserve.”
“We are ecstatic about Gina Ortiz Jones’s election, and look forward to further strengthening our working relationship with her to address the priorities of working-class San Antonio families.”
About Texas Organizing Project PAC:
Texas Organizing Project (TOP) PAC runs the largest, independent get-out-the-vote political programs in Texas, focusing on expanding the electorate of color, with an emphasis on turning out Black and Latino voters. To date, TOP PAC has mobilized hundreds of thousands of voters across the state with the aim of building a reflective democracy–one that looks like us and shares our values.
The Texas Organizing Project (TOP), founded in 2009, organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve.
Our greatest strength is the more than 350,000 members and supporters who help lead our direct-action organizing, grassroots lobbying, and electoral organizing.
