What's at stake?
Races remain open for two seats on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig cruised to reelection on Super Tuesday, while the other two county incumbents, Steve Brandau and Sal Quintero, are headed to a November runoff against challengers.
Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld collected 40% of votes cast in the county’s second district and held an almost 3,000-vote lead over Brandau, who finished second with just over 27%.
Quintero attracted about 40% of votes in the race for the county’s third district, with Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez coming in at 25%. The two will face off in November, and the outcome will also depend on whether those who voted for Miguel Arias or EJ Hinojosa will side with the incumbent or his challenger in this race.
Magsig comfortably won his race, earning 70% of the vote in the county’s fifth district. His challenger, Jennifer Cruz, collected 29% of the votes.
These results are based on the decisions of only about 16% of eligible voters whose votes were tallied Tuesday – a turnout far below the average of 40% for presidential primaries in Fresno County.
The Fresno County Clerk’s Office estimated that at least 38,000 vote-by-mail and 400 provisional ballots remain uncounted late Tuesday, which would raise turnout to about 24%.
Bredefeld grateful, Brandau excited
Bredefeld was the only challenger in Fresno County races to finish in first place on Super Tuesday.
“I'm very gratified by the incredible support we’ve had,” Bredefeld told Fresnoland. “I've been walking precincts since April of last year. I've come to 16,000 homes. I've walked 30 miles a week. We had the honor of putting 1400 yard signs in people's yards.”
Bredefeld told Fresnoland that there are a number of issues that deserve more transparency and accountability on the county level, from the illegal lab in Reedley, to foster youth sleeping inside offices at a child protective services building back in 2021, to the county’s budget process.
“When I get there, there's going to be transparency, there's going to be accountability,” Bredefeld said. “No longer will they be passing $5 billion budgets in 15 minutes — have one public hearing, no public comment, because it's all worked out in the backroom. That will never happen while I’m there.”
In a call with Fresnoland, Brandau pushed back against Bredefeld’s critique of the county’s budget process and said it’s an open and public process, and he does not see how it could be any more transparent.
“The truth is, it's the city that's got a transparency problem when it comes to the budget,” Brandau said, referring to Fresnoland’s August investigation into the city’s budget process. “Now that didn't exist back when I was there. We didn't have a subcommittee that met with the mayor and made insider decisions.”
Bredefeld was the first – and one of only two – Fresno City Councilmembers to call for more transparency in the budget process on the heels of Fresnoland’s reporting.
Reacting to Tuesday's poll numbers, Brandau said he was excited, and that nothing about coming in second in a March primary race for reelection makes him nervous.
“I actually feel really good,” Brandau said. “When I ran my first very first council race 11 years ago, I was second on primary night. I've been there before. It's not the biggest deal. It's a whole new ballgame now.”
Brandau said he hopes voters see “a world of difference” between him and Bredefeld, although Brandau said he’s very similar to Bredefeld when it comes to policy.
“In many ways, our votes would be similar,” Brandau said. “But I have a track record of listening to people on all sides of the aisle. Garry doesn't have that track record.”
Brandau said Bredefeld has been “misleading” to voters and he hopes that in the November general election, voters will be able to see through that.
Additionally, Brandau’s proposed Measure A appears to be sailing to victory, with polling late Tuesday night showing 56% of voters in favor, holding close to a 10,000-vote margin over those who cast ballots against the measure.
“I sponsored Measure A, which was local control of our elections,” Brandau said. “I'm glad that the voters agreed to keep Sacramento at bay and we still get local control over the election of our district attorney and our sheriff.”
Quintero and Chavez prepare for November faceoff
Looking to November for county district three, Quintero said it’s a whole new strategy in a runoff. According to poll numbers late Tuesday night, Quintero got about 1,200 more votes than Chavez.
Quintero said he’s counting on more turnout for the November general election, and he’s also seeking the support of people who opted for other candidates this time around.
“We're happy with the results,” Quintero said. “You know, you hope to win outright, but with this many people in the race, it's inevitable that there'll probably be a runoff.”
Quintero added that his support on Super Tuesday demonstrates that voters are happy with the work he has done as a supervisor.
“I'm the one that's always prided myself in returning all my phone calls,” Quintero said.
Chavez said he feels good about heading to a runoff against Quintero, who he used to work for when Quintero was a Fresno city councilmember. He said the people of county district three want someone else as their county representative.
“Sixty-percent of the people in that district did not want Sal Quintero,” Chavez said, “and I think that speaks volumes to where the electorate is and their desire for having someone different.”
Chavez said his campaign lasted eight months and consisted of robust outreach, from robocalls and door-knocking to social media advertisements and text messaging.
“I think he did some good things in the 1990s, but the current supervisor Sal Quintero is not known for introducing any type of legislation,” Chavez said. “He's not known for proposing any kind of solutions.”
Chavez pointed to how he has actually instituted policy and created programs, like the Small Business Act to bring businesses and jobs to the Kings Canyon corridor in southeast Fresno. However, the program has largely struggled to get off the ground.
Fresnoland's Julianna Morano contributed to this report.
