The crowded race for California governor still has no clear front-runner with only days left for voters to decide which two candidates to advance to the general election in November. Fewer Democrats are voting early so far this year than usual. Some Democratic voters say they aren't impressed with the field, while others say they're fearful of two Republican candidates advancing and locking out Democrats. That's possible because the state's primary system allows the top two vote-getters to advance regardless of party. But it became less likely after one of the major Democrats dropped out and President Donald Trump endorsed one of the leading Republicans.
Over 50 candidates are vying to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred by law from seeking a third term, to lead the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.Â
Win or lose, billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer will leave a mark in the history books in his bid to become California's next governor. He's running the most expensive political advertising campaign in the country this year. Data from ad tracker AdImpact shows Steyer has spent or booked over $195 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio, with the tally still growing. The lavish spending has lifted the former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist into contention in the crowded race. But he's not breaking away from the field. Still, the cash advantage could give him an edge in the race's final days.
The head-to-head race for San Mateo County’s next chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder is heating up with both candidates trying to take aim at one another as Election Day nears.
The candidates running for lieutenant governor are apt to hint at the post’s largely symbolic and overlooked status when discussing their ambitions for the statewide office.
As the primary election approaches, California’s gubernatorial candidates are making campaign stops around the state, with candidate Tom Steyer recently kicking off a Peninsula and South Bay bus tour in Redwood City.
Education is not a central issue in California’s crowded governor’s race, but the candidates addressing it offer sharply different visions, from expanding school funding and free college, to stricter teacher accountability and restrictions on transgender students in sports.
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-San Jose, is defending the District 16 seat he has held for one term against three challengers: Republicans Kevin Johnson and Peter Soule, a law student and businessman, respectively, and independent Jotham Stein, a lawyer.Â
In the race for District 23 state assembly, incumbent Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, is defending the seat against two Republican challengers, businessman Rick Giorgetti and David Johnson, Santa Clara County Republican Party chairman and business owner.Â
Councilmember Rob Newsom Jr., a former mayor and current representative for City Council District 3 since 2022, announced he is running for reelection in November 2026.
The job of the county’s assessor-county clerk-recorder and chief elections officer has always been wide ranging, but really comes down to ensuring record keeping and ballot tabulation are done quickly and properly.
The San Carlos School District Board of Trustees approved calling for an election to renew a parcel tax in November, giving volunteers and proponents months before summer break to ramp up the campaign.Â
The race underway to be the next assessor-county clerk-recorder and chief elections officer between a department insider and a county supervisor has become one of the most charged campaigns for the June election.
Ray Mueller deserves to be reelected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. He is a hard worker, a deep thinker, a meticulous leader and a dedicated public servant.
Vying to be a San Mateo County supervisor representing District 3 is incumbent Ray Mueller, with time on the job, and coastside community member Joaquin Jimenez, who believes the area needs different representation.Â
Two are in the race to be the next elected San Mateo County superintendent of schools, the top educator position that oversees services across the county and for the most vulnerable students.Â
All deadlines have officially passed to run for the June 2026 election, and a mostly contested ballot will give San Mateo County voters much to consider in the coming months.Â
The San Carlos School District initially considered asking voters to renew a parcel tax in June, but after polling showed soft support, it will consider the ballot measure for the November election.
Dana Yates Sahae, a lifelong resident of San Mateo and longtime community advocate, announced her candidacy for the San Mateo City Council, District 5.
Jim Irizarry, San Mateo County assistant assessor-county clerk-recorder and assistant chief elections officer, announced his candidacy for the office’s top job after his boss, Mark Church, opted against running again for the position.
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa announced he is running for assessor-county clerk-recorder and chief elections officer to succeed Mark Church, who announced Jan. 15, he will not be seeking another term.
Two Democratic candidates are running against U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, in the race for his District 15 House seat, which represents most of San Mateo County.Â
California voters have approved a plan to overhaul the state's congressional district boundaries, giving Democrats a boost in their bid to win the U.S. House majority next year. The approval of Proposition 50 could allow Democrats to gain up to five additional seats in the 2026 midterms, when they hope to gain the power to block President Donald Trump's agenda in Congress. The measure was pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a Republican-led redistricting effort in Texas. The California measure replaces maps drawn by an independent commission with new districts created by the Democratically controlled Legislature.
Voters will cast ballots on Tuesday in a statewide special election to decide Proposition 50, a measure that would authorize temporary changes to California congressional district maps in response to Texas redistricting efforts.
A race is officially on for the San Mateo County Superintendent of schools, a seat that will be up for grabs in 2026 with current Superintendent Nancy Magee recently announcing she will not run for reelection after serving since 2018.Â
Updated election results show 84.02%, or 90,466 residents, voted in favor of Measure A, representing a 24.3% voter turnout with 107,797 total votes and only an estimated 640 ballots to still count, as of Thursday.
After months of allegations and lawsuits, the means to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus was overwhelmingly awarded to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors with 85.52% voter support for Measure A, according to first results.Â
The Redwood City Council endorsed Measure A — a countywide ballot measure asking voters if Sheriff Christina Corpus should be removed from office by the Board of Supervisors — joining San Carlos, Millbrae and San Mateo in similar resolutions establishing opposition to Corpus’ administration.Â
The proper path for a removal of an elected official should be the recall, however, the timeline for such an effort is too long when it comes to the people of San Mateo County who rely on the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement.
San Mateo County voters can now view the formal arguments for and against a proposed charter amendment that would grant the Board of Supervisors authority to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office.Â
As ballot counting wraps up in San Mateo County and state, Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, is introducing legislation to prompt conversations around expediting election results.
The close race for the third Foster City Council seat is drawing to a close, with Phoebe Venkat ahead by more than 200 votes over candidate Shankar Kenkre.
All ballots have been processed in San Mateo County and challenger Isabella Chu has beat out sitting Vice Mayor Lissette Espinoza Garnica for the District 3 seat by 13 votes.
A tightening race for the District 3 Redwood City Council seat, with mayoral implications on the line, went from a four-vote margin to a nine-vote margin in Isabella Chu’s favor over incumbent Lissette Espinoza Garnica, according to results released Friday.
As of Nov. 18, elections results in San Mateo County are essentially unchanged from previous updates and a preliminary election night tally, with the margins in the Redwood City District 2 race shrinking by one since last Friday’s update.
As of Nov. 15, updates to San Mateo County’s tight City Council races are still largely unchanged from preliminary vote tallies on election night, but with margins in the Redwood City District 2 race continuing to thin.
As of Nov. 13, updates to San Mateo County’s tight City Council races are showing little movement from preliminary vote tallies on election night, with margins in the Redwood City District 2 race thinning.
Foster City is close to finalizing its transition from at-large to district elections, as part of a California Voting Rights Act complaint made over the summer.Â
Another update in San Mateo County’s City Council races show largely unchanged winners from preliminary vote tallies with 281,221 ballots counted and a mere 51,900 ballots left to count.
Belmont Councilmember Tom McCune increased his lead over colleague Davina Hurt, as of Thursday, Nov. 6, since the switch to district election forced both incumbents to face off against one another in the election.
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