SAN ANTONIO — Former county commissioner Trish DeBerry was coasting to victory in the Republican primary election for Bexar County judge, while Peter Sakai and Ina Minjarez were headed toward the top two spots and a likely runoff election on the Democratic side.
Trish DeBerry addressed supporters at an elections watch party earlier tonight:
Peter Sakai also spoke Tuesday evening as results arrived. See his remarks below:
Between absentee ballots and early voting, about 101,700 county voters submitted their ballots ahead of Election Day.
DeBerry collected 66% of the early vote, compared to 34% for her sole opponent, small-business owner Nathan Buchanan, putting her in position to win the Republican nomination.
This is Buchanan's first bid at an elected position, saying he was motivated by the effects of the pandemic. DeBerry held her seat on the Commissioners Court for less than a year, having forfeited it in December when she filed to run for county judge.
It's more crowded on the Democratic ballot, where left-leaning voters had four names to choose from. Most early voters went with perhaps the most well-known name, Peter Sakai, who is running for the first time for the position of county judge. Currently, he can expect to face State Rep. Ina Minjarez in a May runoff.
Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and Gerardo Ponce have room to make up in the early going.
The spotlight on the Bexar County judge race is stronger than it's been in 20 years, and someone new is expected to lead the Commissioners Court for the first time since 2000 after Nelson Wolff retires from the position this year.
Candidates in the primary must secure at least 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, which is scheduled for May 24.
KENS 5 got an exclusive interview with Wolff before the polls closed. We asked how Wolff is spending his day and he told us, "It's interesting. For the first time in five elections, I don't have to worry about it, but I'm really fascinated about the races that are going on."
We asked him wants he wants for the future. He told us, "What I feel the best about -- we've got three good strong Democrat candidates. We've got a good, strong Republican candidate. So I feel good about the anyone of them winning the race, you know?"
As for what the first thing will be that he'll do after someone takes his seat on Jan. 1 He said, "I write a lot. I will continue to do that. I've done about four or five books now. And beyond that, I'm not sure. I'll find something to do."
Election Day for the Texas primary is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Click here for a sample ballot and list of polling locations.