Local candidate meets San Marcos residents ahead of midterm election

By Jolee Gavito

News Reporter

SAN MARCOS– Mayoral candidate Amanda Rodriguez kicks off her campaign with a meet-and-greet event for San Marcos residents at Triple Six Social.

First elected in 2024, Rodriguez’s term in the Place 6 seat on City Council is scheduled to end Nov. 2027. A special election will be held in 2027 for residents to vote for the Place 6 seat.

In June, Rodriguez moved for a successful municipal ban on AI data centers and Flock surveillance cameras. San Marcos became known as the first city in Texas to do so.

Rodriguez said that it was initially a surprise to run for mayor, just as it was to run for city council.

“The people feel that their voices matter, and the building of that is ultimately the reason why I chose to run,” Rodriguez said.

On July 27, Rodriguez filed to run for the San Marcos mayoral race along with Ryan Thomason, a former city council member and owner of Wood and Thomason Custom Homes.

In a statement to the local press, current San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson announced she will run against incumbent Alyssa Garza for Place 3 on the city council, rather than seeking reelection.

Hughson further endorsed Thomason, later signing on as treasurer of his campaign.

Local vendors and grassroots organizations, including Powered by People, were also in attendance at the market.

Begun by former Democratic politician Beto O’Rourke in 2019, Powered by People aims to register as many voters as possible across Texas, primarily by installing volunteers to do so.

Gallant Sloan, a Powered by People volunteer attending the event, highlighted the importance of this year’s election cycle.

“Residents have an opportunity to show that we aren’t complacent in our higher-level politicians’ actions,” Sloan said.

“The only way residents can prove that they don’t support what’s happening is by voting it out.”

Hays County residents have until Oct. 5 to register to vote in this year’s midterm election cycle, with early voting beginning on Oct. 19.

Registered voters in San Marcos have the opportunity to vote for Places 3 and 4 on the city council, as well as mayor, on Election Day, Nov. 3.

For Places 5 and 6 on the San Marcos City Council, a special election will be held next year, Nov. 2, 2027.