Because politics are becoming more and more important to society, many people want to know if their neighbors have the same political beliefs that they have. Is San Antonio, Texas a liberal or conservative city?
San Antonio, Texas is fairly liberal. The majority of residents voted for the Democratic candidate in four of the last six elections. Bexar County is also fairly liberal, voting mostly Democratic as well. In contrast, Texas is moderately conservative, voting consistently Republican since 1980.
There are many factors that contribute to or indicate the political climate of a city. A few of these are presidential elections, local leaders, policies, and demographics. We will be considering all of these factors in deciding whether San Antonio is liberal or not, so keep reading!
Presidential Elections
The results of presidential elections in a city are a big indicator of that city’s political leanings. The state of Texas is moderately liberal
based on past presidential elections. The state voted for the Republican candidate in every election from 1980 onward. Between 2000 and 2020, the difference between the percentages of Republican and Democratic votes was higher than 10% in 4 of the 6 elections. The highest difference was 22.9% in 2004, and the lowest percentage was 5.6% in 2020.
In the 2020 election, 52.1% of residents voted for the Republican candidate and 46.5% voted for the Democratic candidate. The difference between these percentages was 5.6%, the lowest difference since 1996.
Bexar County, the county that San Antonio is in, is a fairly liberal county. The majority of residents voted for the Democratic candidate in 4 of the 6 elections; in 2000 and 2004, the county voted for the Republican candidate. The difference between the percentages was higher than 10% in 2004, 2016, and 2020. The highest difference between percentages was 18.15% in 2020, and the lowest difference was 4.52% in 2012.
In the 2020 election, 58.2% of Bexar County residents voted for the Democratic candidate, and 40.05% voted for the Republican candidate. The difference between the percentages was 18.15%, the highest it go over that 20-year time period.
San Antonio is fairly liberal, unlike the rest of Texas. The city voted for the Republican candidate in 2000 and 2004, with a difference in percentages of higher than 10% in 2004. In every other election from 2000 to 2020, the city voted for the Democratic candidate, with a difference in percentages higher than 10% in 2016 and 2020. The percentages and differences are comparable to those of Bexar County.
From 2014 to 2018, there were 101,745 contributions to the Democratic party in San Antonio. These contributions added up to $13,024,492. During that same time frame, there were 43,022 contributions to the Republican party, adding up to $28,201,805. The amount of money donated to the Republican party was much higher than that donated to the Democratic party because donations to the Republican party were about 5 times larger on average than those given to the Democratic party.
Local Leaders
The local leaders in a city are often representative of the political leanings of that city. Many positions are filled by someone who is elected by the people because they like that person’s ideas.
Mayor
The mayor of San Antonio is one of the most important elected officials in the city. The mayor is responsible for leading city council meetings and city ceremonies. They also represent the city in larger matters.
The mayor of San Antonio is Ron Nirenberg. He was first elected in 2017 and was reelected in 2021 for his third term.
Before becoming mayor, Nirenberg was on the San Antonio City Council, during which time he supported effective city planning, economic development, environmentally friendly actions, fiscal responsibility, and government accountability. He has also been the Chairman of Sister Cities International and worked as the program director of Annenberg Public Policy Center.
During his time in office, Mayor Nirenberg has supported a change in the budget to reduce poverty, improve public health, and overcome socioeconomic inequality. He has also supported workforce development and created the Mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force and a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Mayoral elections in San Antonio are nonpartisan, so Mayor Nirenberg does not officially belong to a political party. He has been reported to identify as Independent.
City Council
The San Antonio City Council is in charge of accepting the city budget, approving the elected mayor, imposing taxes, and creating or changing laws.
The San Antonio City Council has 11 members, including the mayor. The other 10 members are each elected by one of the city’s 10 districts. 4 of the current city council members are serving their first term, 2 are serving their second term, and 4 are serving their third term. City Council elections are nonpartisan, so none of the city councilors are officially a member of any political party.
Policies
The policies that are in place or that are supported in a city can also be representative of the political mindset of that city. Some policies are more likely to be supported or opposed by liberals or conservatives. Legal abortion, more gun control laws, and legal same-sex marriage are all most likely to be supported by liberals and opposed by conservatives.
Abortion
Texas has many abortion laws in place. An abortion must be performed before the patient has been pregnant for 6 weeks unless a life is in danger. Private insurance policies, health plans, public funding, and insurance policies for public employees do not cover abortion unless the patient’s life is in danger.
24 hours before receiving an abortion, the patient must attend state-directed counseling and receive an ultrasound. The parents of a minor receiving an abortion have to consent before an abortion can be performed, and there are many strict standards for abortion clinics.
In 2017, there were 35 facilities that provide abortions in Texas, 21 of which were clinics. This is a 25% decrease from 2014. 96% of Texas counties did not have an abortion clinic, leaving 43% of women in Texas without access to an abortion clinic.
Residents of San Antonio tend to support a decrease in abortion laws, allowing more women access to abortions.
Gun Control Laws
Texas had the 26th highest gun death rate and the 13th lowest gun export rate in 2020. Texas gun laws include mental health record reporting and child access prevention laws. Texas gun laws do not include universal background checks, gun owner licensing, domestic violence gun laws, assault weapon or large capacity magazine bans, waiting periods, or concealed or open carry regulations.
San Antonio residents support an increase in gun laws.
Same-Sex Marriage
Texas legalized same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015. This was the day when the Supreme Court mandate required all states to legalize same-sex marriage, so it was one of the last states to do so. Most San Antonio residents supported the change in the law.
Demographics
The population of San Antonio is about 1,567,118 people. The population density is 3,234 people per square mile. 50.8% of the population are female and 49.2% are male. The median age in San Antonio is 32.9. The average number of people per household is 2.8.
The racial makeup of San Antonio is as follows:
- White: 25.1%
- Black: 6.5%
- Hispanic/Latino: 64.0%
- Asian: 2.7%
- Native American: 0.1%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1%
- Two or More Races: 1.4%
- Other: 0.1%
46.3% of San Antonio residents are married and 12.4% are divorced. 32.0% of residents are married with children and 23.1% are single with children.
The average income of San Antonio residents is $22,784 per year. The median household income in San Antonio is $46,317 per year. The unemployment rate is 6.6%. The sales tax rate is 8.2%, and there is no income tax.
82.0% of San Antonio residents are high school graduates, and 22.6% are only high school graduates. 16.6% of residents have 2-year degrees, 25.7% have 4-year degrees, 1.7% have master’s degrees, and 1% have professional degrees.
58.6% of San Antonio residents are religious. 56.4% of San Antonio residents are Christian, 0.3% are Jewish, 0.6% are of eastern faith, and 1.2% are affiliated with Islam.
The likelihood that you will be a victim of a violent crime in San Antonio, Texas is 1 in 124. Unfortunately, San Antonio is only considered to be safer than 4% of the rest of the cities in the United States, which is not comforting.
Overall, San Antonio, Texas is a fairly liberal city, but many people that have conservative beliefs also live there, so there is a good mix of political beliefs within the city. This is great if you want to move to this city and have either conservative or liberal views, as you will definitely find people that have similar opinions as you and will be willing to civilly discuss politics with you.
However, keep in mind that people that live in Texas are quite passionate, so it will likely be easy to get into a political argument with people that don’t have the same political opinions as you.
