Rangel, Lopez head to Dist. 125 runoff
Republican and Democrat emerge from crowded field vying for state House seat
Republican Fred Rangel and Democrat Ray Lopez emerged Tuesday night from a crowded field of five candidates vying to become San Antonio’s new state representative, with Rangel leveraging consolidated GOP support for a strong first-place finish in a traditionally blue district.
No candidate received a majority of the vote in the special election, meaning business owner Rangel and former city councilman Lopez are headed to a runoff election to determine who gets to represent District 125, which covers a swath of the West and Northwest Sides from Zarzamora Street to the Loop 1604.
Lopez narrowly beat out thirdplace finisher Coda Rayo-Garza, a school coordinator for San Antonio Independent School District, for the second spot in the runoff by 22 votes, 1,186 to 1,164. That election will be called by Gov. Greg Abbott and will take place in late February or March.
Rangel was the lone GOP candidate running in a district that hasn’t elected a Republican since it was redrawn in 1992 to include more West Side voters. That helped propel him past the four Democrats competing for the same pool of votes.
“I’m excited about that fact that people have gotten behind me,” Rangel said at his headquarters Tuesday night. “They believe in my message. The supporters that I have, volunteers and so forth, I believe I have the best of the best.”
The Democrats knew that posed a threat, Lopez said, but he is still confident he will win.
“We’re not going to take our foot off the pedal,” Lopez said.
Rayo-Garza, who was making her first bid for elected office, indicated she wanted to wait until remaining mail-in ballots are counted before deciding whether to seek a recount. There are an unknown number of mail ballots that could still be counted; votes by civilians that come in the day after
election must be counted as do ballots cast by military members who are overseas.
“I am humbled by the support of the community, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together,” Rayo-Garza said in a statement. “We have worked so hard, together, and together we will continue to work and ensure every vote is counted.”
Overall, there were 6,122 votes cast during early voting and on Election Day, for a 5.4 percent turnout.
The runoff will further delay filling the seat while lawmakers in Austin mull property tax and school finance reform as the 86th Legislature continues its work. The Bexar County delegation, which usually has 10 representatives, is down a member in the meantime.
Abbott will announce the date of the runoff after the results are certified.
Tuesday night was the result of a frenzied, monthlong campaign triggered by former state Rep. Justin Rodriguez’s appointment to the Bexar County Commissioners Court. Democrat Art Reyna finished fourth with 17 percent of the vote, just 2 percentage points behind Lopez and Rayo-Garza. Steve Huerta, whose eligibility to run was questioned by state officials, polled at 6.47 percent.
Rangel’s strong showing was reminiscent of another insurgent Republican: State Sen. Pete Flores, who cruised past Democrats to flip Senate District 19 red last year in another off-cycle special election that featured part of San Antonio. Flores’ campaign manager, Matt Mackowiak, is now running Rangel’s bid.
“This is a very positive night for us and proves this is winnable,” Mackowiak said.
Christian Archer ran the campaign of Flores’ runoff opponent, Pete Gallego. He said that race was ringing in his ears as he watched Tuesday night’s returns. In that race, most pundits still felt Gallego would win when Democratic support consolidated in the runoff, but Flores notched a second upset.
The same is possible in this race, Archer said.
“The Lopez campaign has to focus right now on knocking on doors and turning people out in a special runoff,” Archer said.
When Democrats issued a statement expressing confidence, Mackowiak replied on Twitter: “They said this about #SD19.”
Rangel, 63, has been actively involved with the local Republican Party and other community groups. He backs Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to cap property tax revenue hikes at 2.5 percent, supports state vouchers to send kids to private schools and was supported by Texas Right to Life.
But he agrees with Democrats that the state must increase funding for public schools. He has described his own life experiences as informing that view, after attending Edgewood Independent School District and sending his daughter to Northside ISD.
Lopez, 69, was seen by most as the favorite heading into the night. He had the most recent electoral experience and raised more money ($93,000) than the rest of the candidates combined. Lopez served the West Side on City Council for eight years, the maximum set by the city charter; he also chaired the Northside Independent School District and Metropolitan Planning Organization.
He emphasized that experience during his campaign, promising to bring education and transportation expertise to the district and to leverage his existing relationships in Austin. Lopez works for the San Antonio Mobility Coalition, advocating for transportation needs at the Capitol.