Fil-Am elected mayor of San Antonio, Texas

Fil-Am daughter of Ilocana public school teacher wins US mayoral race

Story by Cristina Chi 
Philstar Global
10 June 2025

MANILA, Philippines — The daughter of an Ilocana immigrant made history over the weekend by becoming the first Filipino-American and woman of color elected mayor of San Antonio, Texas — the seventh-biggest city in the United States. 

Gina Ortiz Jones, 44, defeated her conservative rival, former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, with 54.3% of the vote in Saturday's runoff election, according to US media reports. This also makes Jones the first openly gay mayor and only the third woman to lead the Texas metropolis of 1.5 million residents.

Jones will take office on June 18 for a four-year term. 

Her mother, Victorina Ortiz, left behind an established career as a public school science teacher in Pangasinan to immigrate to the United States in the 70s, according to an interview with Jones by People Asia.   

A University of the Philippines Diliman graduate, Victorina initially worked household jobs after arriving in the US before eventually returning to education — spending over 40 years teaching special needs students at a public school district in San Antonio.

"My journey has been a uniquely American story. My mom came to this country from the Philippines and raised me and my sister by herself," Ortiz said in her campaign website.  

The decision to leave the Philippines required courage that Jones says she inherited. "That same courage is in my heart, that's in my blood, that's in my sister's heart," she told People Asia magazine in 2023.  

Jones said she was raised by her mother to be conscious of finding ways to give back to her community. "It’s why my sister and I both joined the military, and it’s why I’ve worked as a public servant," the San Antonio mayor-elect said.

Historic win amid partisan battle

Jones' victory is seen a breakthrough for Filipino-American political representation in the United States, where Asian-Americans remain underrepresented in major offices despite being the fastest-growing ethnoracial group in the US electorate.

Before running for mayor, she unsuccessfully sought a congressional seat twice under the Democratic party, losing close races in 2018 and 2020 in South Texas.

According to a report by the Texas Tribune, the mayoral race turned bitterly partisan, with Jones having to parry attacks from Pablos, whose campaign ran television advertisements questioning her military record and painting her as an outsider.

Jones responded by assembling a coalition of progressive organizations, veterans groups and labor unions. Her platform focused on expanding pre-kindergarten programs, increasing affordable housing, and improving internet access in poor neighborhoods. 

Pablos trailed by more than 12,000 votes, according to a report by the San Antonio Express.

From Air Force to City Hall

Jones served as an intelligence officer in Iraq under the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which prohibited openly gay service members. She left the Air Force early to care for her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer while Jones was deployed.

She later worked for federal agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, before serving as undersecretary of the Air Force under US President Joe Biden — the first openly gay woman of color in that position.