He went on: \u201c[It\u2019s about] building a community that bolsters and embraces democratic values, and democracy, or slips further and further behind, as we have seen in the last 150 days the Trump administration, or frankly, the last 35 years the Republicans controlled the state of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n
A full Democratic ticket?<\/p>\n
Unlike recent election cycles, where Texas Democrats had just one major candidate raising big money for a statewide race, this year several high-profile candidates are talking about running.<\/p>\n
Governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, a U.S. Senate seat, and almost all of Texas\u2019 other statewide offices will be on the ballot in November 2026.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Beto-ORourke-17.jpeg\")
Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, State Rep. James Talarico, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Beto O\u2019Rourke at a town hall at the Stable Hall on Friday evening. Credit: Brenda Baz\u00e1n \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
Allred, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2024, just launched another Senate bid this week. Talarico has also been considering running for Senate, as has Castro<\/a> and O\u2019Rourke.<\/p>\n Broadly, Democrats want to avoid messy primaries in the statewide races, but the major candidates are still in conversation with one another about who best fits each position.<\/p>\n O\u2019Rourke planned the event at Stable Hall and invited Talarico and Castro, as well as local Democratic officials. Upon invitation, Nirenberg offered to give a welcome address, according to a source familiar with the conversation.<\/p>\n Another event with O\u2019Rourke, Castro and Talarico is in the works, likely to be held in Austin later this month. It has yet to be determined whether Nirenberg will also be a speaker.<\/p>\n A formidable incumbent<\/p>\n Abbott, for his part, has signaled little concern about opposition to his bid for a third term.<\/p>\n The governor started the year with nearly $70 million on hand<\/a> and was in San Antonio last week raising money at an event hosted by Bruce Bugg, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, according to a local Republican official.<\/p>\n Asked about Texas Democrats\u2019 maneuvering for 2026, Abbott\u2019s chief political adviser Dave Carney told the Dallas Morning News last month that \u201cit\u2019s irrelevant what the Democrats do.\u201d<\/p>\n Carney told the newspaper<\/a>: \u201cWe\u2019ll tell voters what we\u2019ve done and that we want to continue to build on those successes.\u201d<\/p>\n A long wind-up for Nirenberg<\/p>\n When Nirenberg took office in 2017, he brought a distinctly apolitical approach to the nonpartisan mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n But over eight years in the role \u2014 the maximum allowed under the city\u2019s term limits \u2014 he\u2019s sharpened his criticism<\/a> of GOP leaders and worked to expand his political network beyond San Antonio.<\/p>\n In a prime speaking role at last year\u2019s Texas Tribune Festival, Nirenberg said Texas\u2019 mayors were moving the state forward on issues like housing, infrastructure and workforce development \u2014 while state leaders actively made their jobs harder.<\/p>\n \u201cThe things that are holding us back, the headwinds that we\u2019re facing, are up in the capital,\u201d he said in the September interview with former Tribune publisher Evan Smith.<\/p>\n Nirenberg went on to suggest that Abbott\u2019s push to create a school voucher program and the so-called \u201cDeath Star\u201d bill<\/a> were examples of Texas Republicans steadily overplaying their hands, appealing to their base at the expense of the rest of the state.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you fail to invest in education, if you ignore the challenges of urban communities \u2026 if you ignore the vast majority of this population, which is now in an urban state, you\u2019re going to continue to alienate yourself from Texas,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I think Texas is or soon will be in play.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, Nirenberg has been building relationships with national Democratic leaders who last year made him a national surrogate<\/a> for Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n Nirenberg was considered in the mix for a potential White House appointment if Harris had won. <\/p>\n Weeks after the November election went the other way, text messages between Nirenberg and his staff indicated other political plans were in the works.<\/p>\n In a Dec. 13, 2024, text message to the mayor, obtained by open records request and shared with the San Antonio Report, Nirenberg\u2019s chief of staff and political adviser Zack Lyke said they could spend the next six months meeting with as many Democratic governors as possible, and potentially use the men\u2019s Final Four basketball tournament, hosted at the Alamodome, as a \u201cconvening opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyke later stated that those meetings didn\u2019t come to fruition. <\/p>\n But Nirenberg has also continued raising money<\/a>, formed a new PAC in the last year, and has been working on a potential book.<\/p>\n![\"Governor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Scott-Ball_abbott-angry-elephant-lahood-rally-election-vote-campaign-republican-gop-10-30-2024.jpg\")
Governor Greg Abbott campaigns for then-Texas House candidate Marc LaHood (R-121) at the Angry Elephant ahead of the 2024 November election. Credit: Scott Ball \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Bria-Woods-Doug-Emhoff-Harris-Walz-democratic-rally-presidential-election-SA-College-23SEP2-24-29.jp.jpeg\")
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaks at a rally for Kamala Harris at San Antonio College ahead of the 2024 election. Credit: Bria Woods \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n