2020 San Diego mayoral election

The 2020 San Diego mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the mayor of San Diego. Incumbent Kevin Faulconer was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits.

The officially non-partisan primary election was held on March 3, 2020. The top two finishers, California State Assembly member and former acting mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego City Council president pro tem Barbara Bry advanced to the general election. This guaranteed that a Democrat would be elected mayor of San Diego for only the third time since 1971.^[a] Gloria was then elected mayor in the November 3 election, making him the first Native American and Filipino-American mayor elected in a US city of over a million people, as well as the city's first mayor of color and the city's first openly gay mayor.^[1]

Note: Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan. The parties below identify which party label each candidate would have run under if given the option.

• Gita Appelbaum Singh, media host^[2] (party preference: Democratic)
• Barbara Bry, San Diego City Councillor^[3][4] (party preference: Democratic)
• Jarvis Gandy (write-in)
• Todd Gloria, California State Assemblymember and former Acting Mayor of San Diego^[3][4] (party preference: Democratic)
• Rich Riel, technology worker^[2] (party preference: Hogwash)^[5]
• Scott Sherman, San Diego City Councillor^[6] (party preference: Republican)
• Tasha Williamson, nonprofit executive^[7] (party preference: Democratic)

• California State Senator^[8][9]
  (party preference: Democratic)
• Cory Briggs, attorney[10]^[11][12] (party preference: none)
• Chris Cate, San Diego City Councillor^[3][13] (party preference: Republican)
• John Cox, businessman and nominee for Governor of California in 2018^[14] (party preference: Republican)
• Carl DeMaio, former member of San Diego City Council, and candidate for mayor in 2012^[15][16] (party preference: Republican)
• Mark Kersey, San Diego City Councillor^[3][2][17] (party preference: none)
• Scott Peters, member of the United States House of Representatives^{[3][4][8][18]} (party preference: Democratic)
• Shelley Zimmerman, former
  Chief of Police of the San Diego Police Department^[3][19]
  (party preference: none)

The campaign for the mayor's office kicked off in early January 2019, when San Diego City Council president pro tem Barbara Bry and California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria officially announced their candidacies.^[18] They were joined in the race later that month by Tasha Williamson, a community activist who works with families who have lost members from police violence.^[20] In November 2019, with less than 100 days to go before the primary, city council member Scott Sherman became the first major Republican to file papers for the mayoral race.^[6]

One of the issues distinguishing the candidates from each other was housing policy. Local activist attorney Cory Briggs announced in January 2019 that he would run for mayor based on opposition to the loosening of development restrictions proposed by incumbent mayor Kevin Faulconer in his State of the City speech. However, Briggs dropped out of the race by May 2019.^[21] In a June 2019 campaign email, Bry came out in favor of strong local control over land use and against statewide legislation to preempt local governments' ability to restrict new development. Gloria favored statewide efforts to increase housing supply, aligning himself with the pro-housing development "Yes In My Back Yard" (YIMBY) movement.^[22] Sherman emphasized market-based solutions to housing upon his entry into the race in late 2019.^[23]

Another major issue was climate. Gloria emphasized his role in the establishment of the San Diego Climate Action Plan, while Bry called for the plan to be expanded and to have better metrics.^[24][25] Williamson spoke about environmental justice while Sherman attributed pollution to unhoused people.^[25]

In August 2019, Gloria was accused of collecting funds for his 2020 re-election campaign to the State Assembly before filing his intent to run with the state in violation of state law.^[26][27] Gloria claimed this was a technical oversight and filed the relevant paperwork the next day.^[28] In November 2019, Gloria settled the case with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, paying a $200 fine.^[29]

Todd Gloria

Officeholders

• Toni Atkins, President pro tempore of the California State Senate^[32][36]
• California Attorney General (2017–2021)^[36]
• Jerry Brown, 34th and 39th Governor of California (1975–1983, 2011–2019)^[35]
• Jennifer Campbell, member of the San Diego City Council^[37]
• Susan Davis, U.S. Representative from California's 53rd congressional district (2001–2021)^[32][36]
• Serge Dedina, mayor of Imperial Beach^[36]
• Mara Elliott, San Diego City Attorney^[38]
• Dianne Feinstein, United States Senator for California (1992–present)^[39][40]
• Nathan Fletcher, member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors^[41]
• Georgette Gómez, San Diego City Council President^[42]
• Kamala Harris, United States Senator for California (2017–2021); 2020 vice presidential nominee^[43][40]
• Christine Kehoe, former member of the California State Senate^[36]
• California Lieutenant Governor (2019–present)^[36]
• Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner (2019–present)^[36]
• Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer (2019–present)^[36][38]
• Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (2019–present), former Lieutenant Governor of California (2011–2019) and former Mayor of San Francisco (2004–2011)^[44]
• California Secretary of State (2015–2021)^[36]
• Scott Peters, U.S. Representative from California's 52nd congressional district (2013–present)^[36]
• Chula Vista^[36]
• Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (2019–present)^[45]
• Juan Vargas, U.S. Representative from California's 51st congressional district (2013–present)^[36]
• Chris Ward, member of the San Diego City Council^[46]
• Betty Yee, California State Controller (2015–present)^[36]
• All 60 members of the California State Assembly Democratic caucus^[38]

Newspapers

• San Diego Union-Tribune^[47][48][49]

Organizations

• Equality California^[50][36]
• Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 89^[32]
• League of Conservation Voters San Diego^[51]
• San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council,
  AFL–CIO^[52]
• San Diego Chamber of Commerce[53]
• San Diego City Firefighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 145^[54]
• San Diego County
  Democratic Party^[55]
• San Diego Municipal Employees Association[56]
• San Diego Police Officers Association^[57]
• Service Employees International Union^[58]

Scott Sherman

Officeholders

• Kevin Faulconer, Mayor of San Diego^[47]

Organizations

• Lincoln Club of San Diego County^[59]
• San Diego County
  Republican Party^[59]

Primary election

The primary election was held on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. In the initial results, Gloria led with more than 40% of the vote and was projected to advance to the general election. Sherman narrowly led Bry by a little over 3,000 votes for the second spot in the general election.[60] By the second day of counting, Bry had reduced Sherman's margin for the second spot by 30 percent to 2,140.^[61] Bry continued to gain on Sherman as more votes were counted, and on March 16 her votes surpassed his.^[62] The final results released in early April confirmed that Gloria would face Bry in the runoff election. This guaranteed that a Democrat would be elected mayor of San Diego for only the third time since 1971.^[63]

Results

2020 San Diego mayoral primary election results^[64]

Candidate		Votes	%
Todd Gloria		147,654	41.5%
Barbara Bry		81,541	22.9%
Scott Sherman		80,352	22.6%
Tasha Williamson		25,629	7.2%
Gita Appelbaum Singh		12,716	3.6%
Rich Riel		8,067	2.3%
Jarvis Gandy (write-in)		3	0.0%
Total votes		355,994	100%

General election

Polling

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[b]	Margin of error	Barbara Bry	Todd Gloria	Other	Undecided
FM3 Research/Voice of San Diego[65]	Oct. 8–22, 2020	580 (LV)	± 4.1%	32%	36%	–	32%
San Diego Union-Tribune[66]	Oct. 1–5, 2020	547 (LV)	± 5.3%	38%	39%	–	24%
San Diego Union-Tribune[67]	Aug. 28–31, 2020	517 (LV)	± 5.3%	37%	34%	–	29%
Strategies 360/Todd Gloria[68][A]	Jul. 15–19, 2020	406 (LV)	± 4.9%	26%	41%	–	33%
GS Strategy Group/San Diego Lincoln Club[69]	Jun. 22–26, 2020	400 (LV)	± 4.9%	31%	34%	11%[c]	24%

Results

Todd Gloria wins 2020 San Diego mayoral election after Barbara Bry concedes.

Candidate		Votes	%
Todd Gloria		346,662	55.95%
Barbara Bry		272,887	44.05%
Total votes		619,549	100.00%

Notes

1. ^ Frank Curran's term expired in 1971.
2. ^ Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
3. ^ "Neither" with 11%

1. ^ Poll sponsored by Todd Gloria's campaign

References

1. ^ Garrick, David (November 8, 2020). "Todd Gloria will bring lots of firsts as San Diego's new mayor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Garrick, David (December 7, 2019). "Forty candidates battling for seven open seats in San Diego next year". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "San Diego mayoral derby for 2020 has already started". The San Diego Union-Tribune. August 17, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Horn, Jonathan (January 3, 2019). "Three key Democrats file to run for San Diego mayor in 2020". KGTV ABC10 News San Diego. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
5. ^ Garrick, David (February 12, 2020). "Poll shows Gloria, Sherman continue to lead Bry in San Diego mayor's race". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
6. ^ ^{a b} Clark, Charles T.; Garrick, David (November 29, 2019). "Republican City Councilman Scott Sherman files to run for mayor of San Diego". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
7. ^ Hamblin, Abby; Gomez, Luis (February 28, 2019). "Who is Tasha Williamson? An in-depth 2020 San Diego mayor's race interview". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
8. ^ ^{a b} "Toni Atkins, Scott Peters are shaping the 2020 mayor's race — now". The San Diego Union-Tribune. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
9. ^ Sklar, Debbie L. (March 22, 2019). "Todd Gloria Picks Up Endorsement from Toni Atkins in Mayoral Bid". Times of San Diego. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
10. ^ Garrick, David (November 23, 2018). "Briggs, vocal City Hall critic, will run for San Diego mayor in 2020". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
11. ^ Halverstadt, Lisa (April 6, 2016). "The Guys Who Want to Rep Downtown Don't Want a Downtown Convadium". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
12. ^ Graham, Marty (May 15, 2019). "Briggs pulls out of San Diego mayor race". San Diego Reader. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
13. ^ Libby, Sara; Rivard, Ry (November 7, 2018). "Morning Report: Big Changes at City Hall". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
14. ^ Marinucci, Carla (February 22, 2019). "Former GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox isn't ruling out another run for top job". Politico. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
15. ^ "Reform CA Chair Carl DeMaio Talks Gas Tax, San Diego Leadership and a 2020 Mayoral Run?". IVN.us. April 2, 2018.
16. ^ Clark, Charles T.; Cook, Morgan (August 5, 2019). "Carl DeMaio announces challenge for Rep. Duncan Hunter's congressional seat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
17. ^ Jennewein, Chris (April 29, 2019). "Another San Diego Republican Leaves The Party Amid Political 'Polarization'". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
18. ^ ^{a b} Service, City News (January 16, 2019). "Rep. Scott Peters To Run For Re-Election Instead Of Mayor In 2020". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
19. ^ Kucher, Karen (February 12, 2019). "Former police chief Zimmerman won't run for mayor in 2020; takes post with National University". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
20. ^ Marx, Jesse (January 22, 2019). "Morning Report: The Story Behind a Rape Accusation at an Escondido Middle School". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
21. ^ Jennewein, Chris (May 16, 2019). "Activist Lawyer Cory Briggs Pulls Out of San Diego Mayoral Race". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
22. ^ Lewis, Scott (June 26, 2019). "'They're Coming for Our Homes': Bry Blasts YIMBY Movement". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
23. ^ Lewis, Scott; Keatts, Andrew (December 7, 2019). "Politics Report: Hello, New Mayor's Race". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
24. ^ Editorial Board (October 15, 2020). "2020 election: Q&A with Council member Barbara Bry, candidate for San Diego mayor". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
25. ^ ^{a b} "2020 San Diego Mayoral candidates sound off about climate change". cbs8.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
26. ^ Garcia, Alberto (August 12, 2019). "Todd Gloria Failed to File Candidacy Form Before Raising Money". La Prensa San Diego. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
27. ^ Stone, Ken (August 13, 2019). "Todd Gloria Files for Assembly Re-Election While Running for San Diego Mayor". Times of San Diego. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
28. ^ Hargrove, Dorian (August 15, 2019). "Mayoral Candidate Todd Gloria Accused of Laundering Political Funds". NBC San Diego. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
29. ^ Stone, Ken (November 9, 2019). "Assemblyman Todd Gloria Pays Fine for Violating Political Reform Act Rules". Times of San Diego. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
30. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w} Bry, Barbara. "Endorsements". Barbara Bry for Mayor 2020. Barbara Bry Campaign. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
31. ^ Keatts, Andrew; Lewis, Scott (December 14, 2019). "Politics Report: Populist Bry Campaign Scores Populist Endorsement". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
32. ^ ^{a b c d} Mapp, Lauren J. (April 9, 2019). "Local Labor Union Endorses Todd Gloria in 2020 Mayoral Election". Times of San Diego. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
33. ^ Jennewein, Chris (February 4, 2020). "GOP's Dianne Jacob, County Supervisor, Endorses Barbara Bry for Mayor". Times of San Diego. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
34. ^ "Endorsements". Run Women Run. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
35. ^ ^{a b c} Jennewein, Chris (June 21, 2019). "Former Gov. Jerry Brown Endorses Todd Gloria for San Diego Mayor". Retrieved June 21, 2019.
36. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} "Endorsements". Todd Gloria. March 15, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
37. ^ Lewis, Scott; Keatts, Andrew (July 4, 2020). "Politics Report: Vacation Rentals? It's Just Like Old Times!". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
38. ^ ^{a b c} Jennewein, Chris (May 7, 2019). "City Attorney Endorses Todd Gloria in 2020 San Diego Mayoral Election". Times of San Diego. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
39. ^ @toddgloria (November 7, 2019). "Big news! Senator @DianneFeinstein has endorsed our campaign..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 7, 2019 – via Twitter.
40. ^ ^{a b} Smolens, Michael (December 8, 2019). "Column: Barbara Bry's climb to the mayor's office just got steeper". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
41. ^ Potter, Matt (February 8, 2020). "Todd Gloria gets hand slapped". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
42. ^ Jennewein, Chris (February 26, 2020). "City Council President Georgette Gómez Endorses Todd Gloria for San Diego Mayor". Times of San Diego.
43. ^ @ToddGloria (November 20, 2019). "So proud to announce @KamalaHarris has..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
44. ^ Jennewein, Chris (August 9, 2019). "Todd Gloria Gets Gov. Newsom's Endorsement in San Diego Mayor's Race". Times of San Diego. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
45. ^ John, Nate (June 7, 2019). "VOSD Podcast: This Week In Mayoral Messaging". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
46. ^ Keatts, Andrew; Lewis, Scott (May 11, 2019). "Politics Report: Councilwoman Montgomery on Housing, Police and School Reform". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
47. ^ ^{a b} Editorial Board (February 7, 2020). "Endorsement: Todd Gloria for San Diego mayor". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
48. ^ McAdam, Jeff (October 14, 2020). "Bry, women leaders slam Union-Tribune's 'sexist' Gloria endorsement". Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
49. ^ Callen, Kate (October 22, 2020). "Opinion: Union-Tribune's Endorsement of Todd Gloria Infuriates Women". Times of San Diego. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
50. ^ "Equality California Endorses Todd Gloria's Historic Bid for San Diego Mayor". Equality California. March 8, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
51. ^ "Endorsements". League of Conservation Voters - San Diego.
52. ^ Garrick, David (November 5, 2019). "Labor unions lining up behind Gloria in San Diego mayor's race". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
53. ^ Lewis, Scott; Keatts, Andrew (November 23, 2019). "Politics Report: Holy Endorsement — Chamber Chooses Todd". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
54. ^ Jennewein, Chris (June 20, 2019). "Firefighters Union Endorses Gloria for Mayor, Brennan for City Council". Times of San Diego. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
55. ^ Bowen, Andrew (August 21, 2019). "San Diego County Democrats Endorse Gloria In Mayor's Race". KPBS. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
56. ^ Jennewein, Chris (July 18, 2019). "City Employees Union Endorses Todd Gloria for San Diego Mayor". Times of San Diego. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
57. ^ Libby, Sara (October 1, 2019). "Morning Report: The Wild World of Water Vending". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
58. ^ Lewis, Scott; Keatts, Andrew (September 21, 2019). "Politics Report: Fletcher Staying Out of 53rd". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
59. ^ ^{a b} Stone, Ken (February 6, 2020). "Common Sense Over Nonsense? Scott Sherman Explains Late Run for Mayor". Times of San Diego. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
60. ^ Bowen, Andrew; Tragesar, Claire. "Gloria Headed For San Diego Mayor Runoff; Sherman, Bry Battling For Second Spot". KPBS Public Media. No. March 4, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
61. ^ Garrick, David (March 6, 2020). "Sherman's lead over Bry shrinks in battle for second slot in mayoral runoff". San Diego Union-Tribune.
62. ^ City News Service (March 16, 2020). "Bry Passes Sherman In Mayoral Race With Razor-Thin Margin". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
63. ^ Trageser, Claire (April 3, 2020). "It's Official: Next San Diego Mayor Will Be A Democrat". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
64. ^ "ELECTION HISTORY – MAYOR, CITY OF SAN DIEGO" (PDF). City of San Diego Official Website. San Diego City Clerk. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
65. ^ FM3 Research/Voice of San Diego
66. ^ SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune
67. ^ SurveyUSA/KGTV-TV/San Diego Union-Tribune
68. ^ Strategies 360/Todd Gloria
69. ^ GS Strategy Group/San Diego Lincoln Club Archived October 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Official campaign websites

• Barbara Bry for Mayor Archived February 22, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
• Todd Gloria for Mayor