Experts: Gov. Abbott’s troop deployment to San Antonio likely payback for mayoral election outcome

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to send National Guard troops to San Antonio may be the Republican state leader’s way of signaling disapproval for the outcome of last weekend’s mayoral election, political experts said.

Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson said Abbott’s decision, in part, may be payback for San Antonio’s rejection of conservative Rolando Pablos — a candidate heavily funded by an Abbott-aligned PAC — in Saturday’s mayoral runoff. Instead, voters chose Gina Ortiz Jones, a progressive who served in the Biden administration, by an 8-point margin.

“The reason why San Antonio is being targeted is a bit puzzling,” Jillson said. “Austin is close at hand and a convenient whipping boy for Texas conservatives, and the demonstrations in San Antonio haven’t been anything like those in Los Angeles, regarding tipping into violence. But, I do think the recent election made San Antonio front of mind for the governor.”

To Jillson’s point, no incidents of violence or vandalism were reported over San Antonio’s anti-ICE protest last Sunday. In contrast, a similar demonstration in Dallas shut down the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, while Department of Public Safety officers dispersed Austin protesters with tear gas and took four people into custody.

In a social media statement on the deployment, Abbott said he’s using the Texas National Guard to maintain “peace and order” in cities across the state. His move follows President Donald Trump’s unprecedented deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to the Los Angeles area over the objection of state and local officials there.

Even so, the Texas Economic Fund — an Abbott-tied PAC created to elect conservatives in blue Texas cities — spent more than $600,000 in Saturday’s runoff in support of Pablos. The PAC’s political strategist, Mitchell Carney, previously worked as one of Abbott’s senior campaign advisors, and Carney’s father, Dave, is the governor’s longtime political strategist.

“I think this is typical Greg Abbot law-and-order crap,” Jon Taylor, a professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, told the Current. “He can say that [Guard troops] are just there just to help law enforcement, but I look upon this as a bit of political theater and reinforcing the intimidation factor that we’re seeing elsewhere.”

Abbott’s decision to send the National Guard to San Antonio comes as two anti-Trump protests are scheduled in the city this week. The first of those, an anti-ICE demonstration, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in front of City Hall.

Meanwhile, a separate anti-Trump demonstration is slated for 5 p.m. at Travis Park on Saturday. Local progressive organizers are working with the grassroots 50501 Movement to organize that event, planned to coincide with President Donald Trump’s controversial birthday celebration and military parade in Washington, D.C.

Groups involved in this weekend’s Alamo City protest have issued statements saying they expect the march and rally to be peaceful.

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This article appears in May 29 – Jun 11, 2025.