Filipina American Democrat wins San Antonio Mayor Election [View all]

[Pototan]

MANILA, Philippines — The daughter of an Ilocana immigrant made history over the weekend by becoming the first Filipino-American and woman of color elected mayor of San Antonio, Texas — the seventh-biggest city in the United States.

Gina Ortiz Jones, 44, defeated her conservative rival, former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, with 54.3% of the vote in Saturday's runoff election, according to US media reports. This also makes Jones the first openly gay mayor and only the third woman to lead the Texas metropolis of 1.5 million residents.

According to a report by the Texas Tribune, the mayoral race turned bitterly partisan, with Jones having to parry attacks from Pablos, whose campaign ran television advertisements questioning her military record and painting her as an outsider.

Jones responded by assembling a coalition of progressive organizations, veterans groups and labor unions. Her platform focused on expanding pre-kindergarten programs, increasing affordable housing, and improving internet access in poor neighborhoods.


https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/fil-am-daughter-of-ilocana-public-school-teacher-wins-us-mayoral-race/ar-AA1Gq6zP?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=4d60acca25cf43598890e9bd28dde055&ei=31