Claudia Jimenez narrowly leads Ahmad Anderson in Richmond mayoral race

If I win, I will be the first immigrant woman holding this position.

Early election returns from Tuesday show Richmond City Councilmember Claudia Jimenez narrowly leading Ahmad Anderson in the city’s nonpartisan mayoral race, according to preliminary results published by Contra Costa County election officials.

With 17,660 votes counted by late election night, Jimenez secured 52.2% of the tally to Anderson’s 47.8%, with later returns showing her share at 52.46% against Anderson’s 47.54%. The two frontrunners emerged from a crowded June primary where Jimenez pulled 38.6% of the vote and Anderson captured 28%, outpacing incumbent Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Demnlus Johnson III, and Mark Wassberg. Because neither candidate crossed the 50% threshold in June, the race went to a Tuesday run-off—marking the first mayoral contest under Richmond’s new run-off system.

Two Decades of Progressive Control Meet a New Challenger

If Jimenez’s lead holds, she will extend two decades of leadership by the Richmond Progressive Alliance, a political machine that first seized City Hall 20 years ago when insurgent progressive Gayle McLaughlin ousted incumbent mayor Irma Anderson by 242 votes. This election cycle brought the heirs of that historic contest back to the ballot: Ahmad Anderson is the son of Irma Anderson, while Jimenez carries McLaughlin’s political legacy.

A closer look: Richmond mayoral race

At the RPA headquarters on election night, supporters danced to a DJ, ate pupusas, and sipped horchata and wine. Meanwhile, Anderson gathered with family and friends at his childhood home, where he still lives, sharing chicken wings, corn, and salad.

I’m still motivated and encouraged that we’ve done everything possible we can do, Anderson said. My vision for the city of Richmond has gotten me where I need to be. And I’m in this to win it.

The ideological fault lines in the city center on its economic trajectory and public safety strategies. Jimenez and her supporters point to the 10-year settlement she helped negotiate with Chevron in 2024. Combined with a 2020 business tax, that agreement expanded city budget reserves and helped lift it off the state auditor’s watchlist. Critics and Anderson argue that relying on extracting money from Chevron creates an unstable economic climate that discourages outside investment and masks underlying operating deficits.

Diverging Visions for Public Safety and Future Vote Tallies

Public safety policy remains another sharp point of division between the two campaigns. Anderson backs a police union initiative that would require a minimum of 187 sworn officers.

County elections officials note that Tuesday’s initial results include early in-person votes and counted vote-by-mail ballots, which typically represent about half of the total ballots cast. The next batch of updated election results is scheduled to be released by 5 p.m. Friday.