Conservative Republican Sonja Shaw, a Trump-aligned culture-war figure, led the June primary for California superintendent of public instruction, building a sizable advantage over Democrat Richard Barrera as more than 80% of precincts reported. With the final
For the June primary voters in California, the stakes were as local as their own school board and as statewide as who would run the California Department of Education.
By Tuesday night. with more than 80% of precincts at least partially reporting. Sonja Shaw — a conservative Republican whose public profile rose as she became identified with culture-war causes. including banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports — had emerged as the leading vote-getter for the superintendent of public instruction. Her lead over Democrat Richard Barrera was large enough that it would be difficult to overcome.
Shaw’s position carried a familiar kind of momentum: she is a school board president herself. heading the elected Board of Education for Chino Valley Unified in San Bernardino County. a diverse but substantially conservative inland portion of Southern California. Barrera also leads a school board in his day-to-day work. He heads the school board of San Diego Unified. the state’s second largest school district. serving an area with liberal leanings but also politically diverse.
Both candidates came into the primary as established figures. But Shaw’s path to the top was shaped by an unusually crowded Democratic field. The primary featured seven Democrats — many with a voter and financial base that would make them competitive. The incoming results suggested those Democrats largely divided votes among themselves. Shaw, by contrast, consolidated the Republican vote, placing her ahead. A second Republican candidate finished far behind her.
Tuesday night, Shaw did not treat the lead like a victory lap. In a statement. she said. “I am humbled and grateful that Californians from every corner of our state have rallied behind this campaign.” She added. “What we’ve built is more than a campaign. It’s a diverse movement of communities who believe our schools can do better and who are determined to make that happen.”.
Her campaign themes are closely tied to the high-profile actions taken by the Chino Valley board majority. The board proposed a policy that would require parents to be notified if their child expressed gender-identity issues at school. The majority also approved a policy that allows parents to challenge the content of library books.
Those decisions are likely to resonate far beyond Chino Valley in a state where the top job remains defined by statewide politics even as districts run their own schools. Shaw will now move into a runoff against one Democrat, a setup that presents a challenge in a state where Democrats dominate.
Shaw acknowledged the longer road ahead. “Tonight is not the finish line,” she said. “It’s the beginning of the final stretch.”
Barrera. reached too late Tuesday night to comment. carried his own advantage into the general contest — one driven by outside spending. He benefited immensely from a $5 million independent expenditure campaign from the California Teachers Assn. which has. in the recent past. seemed determined to spend whatever it takes to get an ally into the state superintendent’s office.
Barrera’s resume also reaches deep into Sacramento politics. In addition to his work as a longtime public official, he has been a senior aide to current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Thurmond could not run again because of term limits and instead mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor.
The role itself is part of why this contest can feel so big even when it is still bounded. The state superintendent has limited authority over school districts, which are locally managed. The officeholder instead manages the California Department of Education, which guides local districts and provides partial oversight. The job also comes with the bully pulpit — the ability to shape public conversation about education issues.
But the position may not stay the same for long. The office has an uncertain future because Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing a proposal to reimagine the office and redistribute some of its duties.
California superintendent of public instruction Sonja Shaw Richard Barrera Chino Valley Unified San Diego Unified California Teachers Association June primary school board president school policy transgender athletes ban library book challenges Tony Thurmond Gavin Newsom