U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, one of the highest-profile progressives in national politics, has endorsed two candidates running in San Antonio’s May 1 citywide election.

In a Tuesday afternoon tweet, the Vermont independent threw his support behind District 5 city council candidate Teri Castillo and Luke Amphlett, who’s running for San Antonio ISD’s District 4 slot.

“They understand that now is the time to think big and put working people ahead of the wealthy and powerful,” Sanders tweeted.

Castillo is one of 11 candidates running to replace Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales, who’s being term-limited out. A vocal advocate for affordable housing, Castillo is a member of the Texas Organizing Project and the Historic Westside Residents Association.

Amphlett, who teaches at Burbank High School, is running to unseat Arthur V. Valdez, a retired aircraft engineer elected to the SAISD board in 2017.

Stay on top of San Antonio news and views. Sign up for our Weekly Headlines Newsletter.

Related Stories

This article appears in Apr 21 – May 4, 2021.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...