SAN ANTONIO — Gina Ortiz Jones, a former congressional candidate and U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, is vying for local office and planning to run for San Antonio mayor, her campaign manager told KENS 6
Ortiz Jones, a 43-year-old Democrat, was nominated by President Biden to be Air Force undersecretary and served in the role from 2021 to 2023.
Her extensive career includes advising on military operations, serving with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and joining the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as a Director for Investment leading the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
She most recently competed to unseat Tony Gonzales in Congressional District 23 in 2020, losing the general election by fewer than 11,000 votes out of nearly 300,000 ballots cast. Her failed 2018 bid to unseat Will Hurd for the same seat was even tighter, with just 926 votes separating the two candidates out of more than 210,000.
Ortiz Jones joins a crowded field of candidates vying to be Mayor Ron Nirenberg's successor; the four-term mayor will leave office next summer, having reached his term limits as outlined in the San Antonio City Charger. Among her competitors are three current City Council members, including District 6 representative Melissa Cabello Havrda, who officially kicked off her campaign Wednesday.
