Expert says Gina Ortiz Jones’s election-night media snub is ‘odd’ but unlikely to sway voters

San Antonio mayoral candidate Gina Ortiz Jones’ decision to lock the media out of her campaign headquarters on election night may have ruffled feathers, but it’s unlikely to blow up into a major issue as the runoff picks up steam, a local political scientist said.

Despite winning 27% of the vote in a 27-person race, Jones took the unconventional approach of banning the public, including members of the media, from her watch party. A now-viral social media clip even showed her appearing to dodge questions from KSAT and Telemundo reporters as she left her campaign office to catch the end of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade.

For University of Texas at San Antonio political scientist Jon Taylor, Jones’ move brought back memories of Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams’ televised snub of rival Ann Richards.

“It reminds me of Clayton Williams in 1990 when someone told him not to shake Ann Richards’ hand during a debate,” Taylor said. “It was [the move’s] appearance and what it means in terms of how the media interprets it — and in politics, perception is everything.”

Even so, Taylor said Jones’ decision not to open her campaign office to the media is unlikely to sway voters in what’s expected to be an intense and expensive runoff to replace termed-out Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

Jones, a Democrat, who served as Under Secretary of the Air Force under the Biden administration, is facing off against former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, a Republican ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, and the campaign is expected to include plenty of partisan rancor as it builds toward a June 7 finish.

Of Saturday’s top five vote-getters, Jones was the only one not to hold a public watch party and address members of the media on election night. That’s despite her campaign’s heavy emphasis on transparency at City Hall. Indeed, her policy issue landing page includes the word “transparency” four times.

Pablos is already weaponizing Jones’ unconventional election-night move, attacking her in a Sunday Facebook post that alleges she doesn’t respect the First Amendment.

“The First Amendment guarantees a free press for a reason: to hold people like her accountable,” Pablos’ campaign wrote. “If she won’t face reporters now, what do you think she’ll hide from you as mayor?”

On Monday, Pablos’ campaign kept the issue in the spotlight, sending out a press release to reporters featuring the headline “She Doesn’t Want To Talk To You. I Do.”

It’s worth noting that San Antonio Report political writer Andrea Drusch spotted Jones at the Fiesta Flambeau parade and was able to interview the candidate.

Still, appearing to give access to one news outlet while ignoring others isn’t a great look, Taylor said.

“The juxtaposition just wasn’t good. Politics is about visuals, and it didn’t make for a good visual,” Taylor said. “I could not have imagined a candidate in another city doing that.”

In comments to the Current, Jordan Abelson, communication manager for the Jones campaign, defended the candidate’s conduct, saying the team was tired and wanted to partake in Fiesta events.

“Our entire team decided that — especially considering we all went to work the next day — that we wanted to celebrate internally and kind of just enjoy as the results came in,” Abelson said. “I guess you could argue that our watch party was the Fiesta parade.”

Abelson also clarified that although Jones’ election night event was closed to the media, it was open to volunteers and supporters.

Even so, Taylor said the Jones’ standoffish approach to the media struck him as “odd.”

“Why close off something that’s so public on election night?” he said. “I know you want to celebrate with your staffers and volunteers. But, even if you throw a bone to the media for 15 minutes, that should be more than sufficient. They get their B-roll on TV, and you’re done.”

But considering the ferocity of the attacks still to come in the runoff, Taylor said Jones’ election-night party probably won’t leave a lasting impression on most voters.

“I think in the long term, it’s not going to matter. I think what’s going to matter is the kind of air war we’re going to get in terms of attacks,” Taylor said.

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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 13, 2025.