Nine percent of registered voters said they plan to vote for District 9 Councilman John Courage in May’s mayoral election. Credit: Jade Esteban Estrada

John Courage — the first San Antonio City Council member to announce a run to replace termed-out Mayor Ron Nirenberg — also could be the first to drop from the race.

The 72-year-old Air Force veteran, who represents District 9, has opted to suspend his campaign for the city’s top elected post, the San Antonio Express-News reports, citing people familiar with his decision.

Courage’s campaign didn’t respond to the Current’s request for comment. No statement on Courage’s reported departure plans appear on his campaign’s social media channels.

Courage unveiled his mayoral bid in January at a press conference interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters who shouted over the councilman. Since then, the campaign has rolled out few events or major policy statements. The last tweet from its X account was own Nov. 21.

Courage’s reported departure from the crowded mayoral race may come surprise for some.

A University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Public Opinion Research poll from September placed Courage as frontrunner with 9% support. Even so, that survey  was early in the race, and 43% of respondents said they weren’t familiar with any of the candidates.

Despite early name recognition, Courage’s campaign trailed in fundraising, pulling in just $19,000 in the first six months of this year, according to city campaign finance reports. That’s pocket change compared to the $112,000 raised by mayoral rival Beto Altamirano, a tech entrepreneur with no previous political experience.

Other candidates expected to file paperwork next month include District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia and District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez. District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda could announce her candidacy as early as this week, according to people familiar with those plans.

Altamirano and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos have also announced their intentions to run, as has former District 10 City Councilman Clayton Perry. Perry grabbed national headlines in 2022 with a drunk driving hit-and-run crash to which he lated pleaded guilty.

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This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 10, 2024.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...