It's a windy Tuesday afternoon as I sit across from Texas Rep. Ina Minjarez at Viola's Ventanas in Northwest San Antonio. Though not readily apparent to onlookers from her calm composure, the El Paso native is locked in a May 24 runoff with former district court Judge Peter Sakai to represent the Democratic Party in the high-stakes race for Bexar County judge.
A silver bracelet with beads dangles from Minjarez's right wrist. She explains that it's a gift from Texas Rep. Jessica González, something the North Texas Democrat picked up on a trip to Europe.
I ask about one of the images on the beads.
"It's a cross with a flower," replies Minjarez, 46, examining it anew. "I think you can do the rosary on it."
During her seven years as a legislator under the Pink Dome, I have twice interviewed Minjarez for this column. The first was in 2018, the second in late 2020.
Much has transpired since then. For one, she survived the political backlash from being one of the 50 House Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C. in a bid to block a raft of Republican-led voting restrictions. That high-profile departure happened shortly after the unexpected passing of her beloved mother-in-law.
Minjarez said that death made her reexamine the balance between family life and passion for public service. I ask her how the Ina sitting before me is different from the one I first met in 2018.
"I think Ina's grown," she says, playing along with the third-person perspective. "Ina's evolved. A lot has happened since we last visited."
Minjarez's decision to run for Bexar County judge came as a surprise to political observers, who projected a longer tenure for her in the GOP-controlled Texas House. To run for the center seat on Commissioners Court, Minjarez wasn't required to resign as representative, but her name couldn't be on the ballot for re-election.
But it's not as if she hasn't calculated the risks. Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who assumed office in 2001, is a Democrat, and according to pollsters hired by Minjarez's campaign, there's a strong chance the seat will remain blue.
"It will be very difficult for a Republican to find a path, just because the dynamics of the population of Bexar County have changed so much over the years," Minjarez says. "We are an urban core that's predominantly Democrat."
Though it's a midterm election, which tends to attract fewer voters than a presidential election year, Minjarez is counting on Beto O'Rourke's gubernatorial run to galvanize the county's Democratic base. That would boost her campaign if she wins her party's nomination next month.
"He's a dynamic politician," she says of the El Paso progressive, who lost his 2018 senatorial bid by a three-point margin. "He's going to bring out the Democrats."
In the eyes of some local party insiders, Minjarez's candidacy was an unexpected disruption to the status quo.
"The old guard of the party were upset with me for running," she says. "They felt, 'You needed to have asked us for permission. You should allow Judge Sakai to run because he's been around longer. You should wait your turn.'"
No stranger to opposition, Minjarez says the local party brass isn't necessarily reflective of the county's "general" Democratic voters.
"I dealt with the same challenges when I ran for [House District] 124, so although I respect the party and, of course, the people in it, I know that how I win is by talking to and aggressively meeting the Democratic voters that are on the outside of the bubble."
Minjarez notes that the relationships she built while serving in the House would help her as a county judge.
"This position ... it's not one that comes all the time," she says. "I decided I can come home and work on the same policies I did up there and actually get things done on the local level."
I ask what other ways she feels like she's changed.
"I think I'm more assertive at times," she replies. "Now, I'm just very direct. Just tell me what you want. If we can't get there, then I'm gonna find another way to get it done."
One of Minjarez's top priorities is property tax relief, which she says hasn't been meaningfully addressed at the legislature. She's also focused on infrastructure, planning responsible growth and quality-of-life issues such as housing, healthcare, mental health issues and generational poverty.
She says businesses should play a part in some of those initiatives and bring their perspectives to the table.
"If your workers are well and your people are well, we thrive economically," Minjarez explains. "If you're not addressing mental health, proper healthcare, food deserts [or] housing, how do you expect people to thrive and contribute to your business?"
If I were to ask you for the best advice you've ever received, what comes to mind, right here, right now? I ask.
"My husband gave me some great advice that's always stuck with me: 'What you allow, you promote,'" she says. "There's a way to address something that bothers you in a way that you let it be known that you don't like something. If you don't address it, it continues to grow. They think by your silence, you were OK with it."
Though Minjarez is disappointed by the current leadership in the Texas House, she's nonetheless heartened to see more women entering public office.
"Women bring a different dynamic and perspective," she says. "For me, the more women the better. I look forward to the day when we see another female governor, but I'd like to see a female speaker or a female lieutenant governor."
She nods.
"That's going to be cool. I hope I'm still around for that."
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