Shaw and Barrera advance to run-off for state schools superintendent
Key takeaways
- The November runoff for state schools superintendent will pit two school board presidents — one a union-friendly liberal and the other a Trump-aligned conservative — against each other.
- Republican, Sonja Shaw finished in first place in this week’s primary with 24.5% of votes counted through June 4.
- Shaw’s margin seems comfortable even with more ballots to be counted, with Barrera firmly in the runoff.
Richard Barrera speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention and Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified School District Board President, speaks at a California Policy Center-sponsored gathering. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press; Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) By Howard Blume Staff Writer Follow June 5, 2026 12:21 PM PT 5 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The November runoff for state schools superintendent will pit two school board presidents — one a union-friendly liberal and the other a Trump-aligned conservative — against each other.
Republican, Sonja Shaw finished in first place in this week’s primary with 24.5% of votes counted through June 4. Democrat Richard Barrera had19.3%.