Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg may be running for Governor.
Ron Nirenberg
Sources say former Mayor Ron Nirenberg has been telling fellow Democrats he’s considering a run for governor in 2026 — a potentially grueling race against the formidable Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
In recent months Nirenberg, 48, has repeatedly teased the idea he could run for another office — in speeches at the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s gala and other public events.
Last week Nirenberg returned from a family vacation in Spain and immediately appeared alongside Beto O’Rourke, state Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock) and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) — all viewed as potential statewide candidates in 2026 — at an event at San Antonio’s Stable Hall.
Sources familiar with the conversations say Nirenberg had been discussing the possibility of running for governor even before he’d left the mayor’s office — and returned from vacation telling the other Democrats he was interested in the race.
Nirenberg did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday through his longtime campaign hand James Aldetere.
“2026 is a very important election,” he told a packed house Friday evening at Stable Hall. “This is more than just about Democrats and Republicans, this is about right and wrong.”
He went on: “[It’s 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.”
[…]
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.
O’Rourke 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.
Another event with O’Rourke, 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.
We were talking about Nirenberg’s possible future in politics shortly after he left the Mayor’s office at the end of his term. I admit I didn’t think it would be this soon. I for one would be perfectly happy with a Nirenberg for Governor campaign, but as this story notes and as we have discussed there are plenty of other names floating around, as well as one already-declared gubernatorial candidate. The situation remains highly fluid.
That already-declared candidate got a short story in the Chron.
While better-known Democrats are jockeying to see who might run for governor in 2026 against Gov. Greg Abbott, a farmer in Northeast Texas is already jumping into the race, saying the party needs an outsider to win the contest.
Bobby Cole, a former firefighter and a farmer from Wood County, has hired campaign staffers and launched a website, and is vowing to take back the government for working people of the state.
“Republicans have spent 30 years in office, and working men and women have been having to pay the cost,” Cole, 55, said during an interview. “It has to stop.”
He said rising property taxes, underfunded public schools and tariffs hurting farmers and consumers are just some of the reasons he’s taking a shot at running for office.
“We need more people like us — working people — in the government,” Cole said.
Cole was a firefighter in Texarkana and later in Plano. He also maintains his family’s farm in Quitman, where they have 300 head of cattle and raise chickens. He retired from firefighting as a lieutenant in 2017.
[…]
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, of San Antonio, and state Rep. James Talarico, of Austin, are among the Democrats looking at the race.
“I’ll make a decision soon,” Castro said when asked on a gubernatorial run in an interview after a political rally in San Antonio on Friday with Talarico and O’Rourke.
Cole’s website is here. He would be greatly eclipsed by any of the other names mentioned so far, but until one of them says the magic words he remains the frontrunner, and I hope we can all learn a bit more about him.
Elsewhere, State Sen. Nathan Johnson appears to be set to run for Attorney General.
Sen. Nathan Johnson
Texas State Senator Nathan Johnson is expected to formally announce his candidacy for Attorney General on July 15, entering a race for one of the state’s most influential positions, as first reported by The Quorum Report.
Representing Dallas County’s Senate District 16, Johnson has gained bipartisan respect since his election in 2018, building a legislative portfolio centered on healthcare expansion, energy infrastructure, and government accountability. With a background in physics and law, Johnson combines policy depth with legal experience, currently practicing litigation at Thompson Coburn LLP.
His announcement comes as the Attorney General’s office faces deep internal unrest. Current AG Ken Paxton is stepping down to run against Sen. John Cornyn, but leaves behind a trail of controversy. A recent lawsuit from a former executive assistant has surfaced allegations of sexual harassment and inaction by Paxton’s former top aides, igniting bar complaints and countersuits that have further damaged the office’s credibility. While Paxton is not named in the suit, the scandal underscores long-standing concerns about the culture and leadership at the state’s top law enforcement agency.
For Johnson, the moment presents both opportunity and contrast. According to The Texas Tribune, he has indicated that his decision to run is based on where he can be “most useful,” weighing public service against electoral potential.
I suspect that Sen. Johnson, who is not up for election next year and thus can keep his current office while campaigning, will not have much competition in the primary. If he can get out there and raise some money – he had $503K on hand as of January – he’ll be in a strong position regardless. He won’t be running against Paxton directly but he can run against him and his mismanagement of that office regardless of who his eventual opponent is.
What about some of those other big names? Jeremy Wallace reports:
Democrats Colin Allred and Terry Virts are already running for the U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026.
But what about other potential Democratic candidates? U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, state Rep. James Talarico and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke are among those who have said they are also looking at the race, as well as other statewide contests.
After a rally in San Antonio last week, I caught up with all three and pushed them on what their timetables look like for declaring.
O’Rourke, 52, couldn’t say for sure when he or any of the others, whom he has been in contact with, would make decisions on the Senate race.
“I think it will probably get worked through by the end of this summer if not sooner,” said O’Rourke, who ran for the Senate in 2018 and for governor in 2022.
Candidates have until the first week of December to get into the race.
Castro acknowledged that other Democrats might be interested in running for the 20th Congressional District seat he holds now, if he runs for another seat. He said he knows people will be looking to see what he decides because it also affects their political futures.
“I’ll make a decision soon,” said Castro, a 50-year-old attorney who has been in Congress since 2013.
Talarico, Castro and O’Rourke could technically all end up in the same Senate primary against each other, but Talarico said that doesn’t mean he considers the other two rivals.
“We are not rivals,” he said. “We are on the same team. We are all trying to change the state for the better and bring power back to the people. We’re going to coordinate and work together and see what that looks like over the next few months.
While Talarico has talked about running for the Senate, he said he is looking at other races too, like for governor.
“Everything is on the table right now,” the 36-year-old said. “I’m trying to figure out how best I can serve.”
I’ll be happy for these decisions to be sooner rather than later. Lone Star Left has an open letter to Talarico and Castro asking them to run for Senate and Governor – they did not specify who should run for which, just asking for one of each – that is signed by a bunch of activists. I have no idea what might influence either of their decisions, but to the extent that anyone can do so, there you have it.