Election day is September 28. Early voting begins September 20.

Katie Farias, Democrat, 41, Southside ISD Board Member

Farias was the first Democrat to announce a candidacy for the seat, saying she intended to run against Pacheco before he announced his resignation. In a telephone interview, she said Pacheco did not represent her district because he supported the state’s new law allowing universal carry without a handgun license.

She also denounced the state’s new ban on abortions six weeks after conception.

“You have a choice right now in Texas to wear a mask or get the vaccine, but a woman has no choice what to do with her own body. I think it’s just awful, and I think that it makes some people feel it’s hard to live in Texas because of it, ”Farias said.

Farias said education policy was his goal. For example, expanding broadband access is all the more important as virtual learning options become more entrenched in schools, and she felt that it was a mistake that it did not. There hasn’t been more effort to improve the Texas public education system throughout this year’s regular and special sessions.

“We don’t do enough in general for education. And the technology, as we’ve seen, is going to continue to work, and a lot of these schools are not up to date on our technology. ” she said. “As a mother, as a member of the school board, we have to make education a priority. These kids will one day run the state, run the country, and we have to do better.”

John Lujan, Republican, 59, businessman, retired firefighter, former deputy sheriff of Bexar County

Lujan says he is focused on running a non-partisan campaign that connects him personally with voters in his community, many of whom already know him through his involvement in youth sports or his church. and say all these ultra-conservative things. It is not me.

Lujan and his wife adopted three sons through the foster care system. He said that one of the most important political issues for him is strengthening the foster care system and increasing the funding of the system in Bexar County.

“When you don’t have good childcare, the kids who get lost … I look at my sons, and they’re lucky. Not because of me and my wife or whatever, but they could have been separated, they could have been lost in the system, ”Lujan said.

Desi Martinez, Democrat, 47, Attorney General

Martinez said he was operating on a platform to help small businesses, veterans and schools. He asks the government to offer incentives to businesses to promote more public-private partnerships with schools.

“I come from a very disadvantaged background, and the only way I could get out of it was to go to college, go to law school and improve my situation through education. . We must continue to provide these opportunities for children, “he said. “I believe part of the solution, part of the equation, is to involve businesses.”

He noted that the only time a Republican has won the 118th was in a special election, and Democrats need to work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“What’s our plan? Literally, it is a movement, a perpetual movement … Because the odds are not in our favor. And just to make people understand the need to vote in a special election as opposed to a general election when the numbers come up. “

Frank Ramirez, Democrat, 27, staff member of San Antonio City Councilor Ana Sandoval

Ramirez served as chief of staff to former 118th District Representative Tomas Uresti and, in recent years, worked for San Antonio City Councilor Ana Sandoval as Director of Land Use, constituent services and infrastructure. Ramirez was supported in the race by Pacheco, the holder.

He said his top three priorities are public education, public health and a set of issues including infrastructure, economic development and property taxes. He wants to start a conversation about the disparities in health outcomes for different areas of Bexar County that correspond to the disparities in wealth. He wants more funding for schools, and less of that funding allocated based on standardized test scores statewide.

“I have personally knocked on over 1,000 doors in this neighborhood,” Ramirez said. “All I know is that I have lived in my community my entire life.”

He said he expects to have a “competitive advantage” because of his personal history and his involvement in the community.

Adam Salyer, Republican, 44, retired Army Sgt. and current real estate agent

Salyer was the 2020 Republican candidate who lost to Pacheco by around 10,000 votes. Asked about his platform, Salyer said, “It is literally unity. I have to unite not only my party, but at the state level, both parties to get things done in one district.”

“I literally carry a Constitution in my pocket, with my little pocket Bible. It is my guide,” he said. “It’s God’s race to win. And believe it or not, it’s your race to win. You do what you want and what you think is right.”

He said he felt the Texas Republican Party was supporting Lujan, calling his challenge “essentially David v Goliath”.

He said he supported Abbott’s ban on mask warrants – “Don’t ask me to wear a mask without all the science behind it” – and said he wanted to see a broad effort from the government to find a cure for COVID-19. He said he’s vaccinated, but he thinks the vaccines are “a half-hearted effort, I really think, to hide the truth behind it.”

“If we can cure Ebola or find a solution to it in a matter of weeks, why are we spending billions trying to fix COVID-19? Salyer said. “I still think we need to put more concentrated effort into finding a solution.”

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