Kevin McCarty leading over Flojaune Cofer in early results for Sacramento mayoral election
In the race for Sacramento’s next mayor, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty has a lead over Flojaune Cofer in early returns Tuesday.
McCarty held roughly 55.5% of the vote while Cofer had 44.5% as of results released in the last batch before Friday.
The next update is expected from Sacramento County election officials at midnight, followed by additional results Friday and next week. A winner may not be declared for several weeks.
The winner will replace Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who has led the city since 2016 and decided not to run for re-election.
In the early returns, McCarty was winning most of the city, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis. Cofer led in Downtown, as well as Oak Park, Meadowview and parts of Valley Hi.
Paul Mitchell, vice president of bipartisan voting data firm Political Data Inc., said Cofer still has a chance of winning the election. The early returns include about 77,600 votes, but more than 200,000 people likely cast a vote in the race, he said.
“The lead is good for Kevin McCarty, but there are many more outstanding ballots to be tabulated, and with later ballots being from younger voters and renters, we could expect Flo Cofer to gain votes, as she did in the primary where she began in fourth place and ended up the top vote getter.”
About 200 people gathered downtown to support McCarty Tuesday night, including Mayor Darrell Steinberg District Attorney Thien Ho, Sacramento State President Luke Wood, Sacramento council members Karina Talamantes, Caity Maple, Lisa Kaplan, Rick Jennings, and Councilman-Elect Phil Pluckebaum.
“I’ve ran for office before, but the way this office works, it’s a lot,” McCarty said, noting he campaigned for nearly two years. “Being the mayor of Sacramento with over a half of a million people, there’s a lot at stake.”
When Steinberg showed up around 10:30 p.m., McCarty gave him a shout out.
“Thank you for your service, and I I just hope to grab a baton on the 10th of December and don’t drop it,” McCarty said to Steinberg, along with the rest of the crowd. “And most importantly, (to) build upon your work, the work of great prior mayors, and move Sacramento forward.”
A few blocks away at Tipsy Putt, about 200 Cofer supporters gathered, including council women Mai Vang and Katie Valenzuela, who called the returns “respectable.”
On the stage, in front of a purple backdrop, Cofer danced as supporters chanted “Flo.”
“I’m grateful to all of you for inspiring me to dream and for dreaming with me about what that future can be,” Cofer said.
She expected more votes to come in for her when the county starts tabulating the votes that were cast on Election Day.
“I know my people,” she said. “My people were at those lines at 7:58 p.m. today.”
Who are the candidates?
McCarty, 52, rose in Sacramento politics from city commission to City Council to assemblyman.
Endorsements for McCarty include Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Ho and former council member and mayoral candidate Steve Hansen. McCarty also found favor from the Sacramento Police Officers Association, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 and the Sacramento Central Labor Council
Cofer, 41, is a political newcomer and public health professional who first moved to Sacramento about two decades ago. She has worked in state and local public health policy over the years, including time as senior director of policy for the Davis-based nonprofit Public Health Advocates, where she led health equity initiatives.
She spent time as the chair of the city’s Measure U committee which advised officials on how to spend sales tax money intended to uplift disadvantaged communities and neighborhoods.
The more progressive of the two candidates, she is supported by Vang and Valenzuela and the Democratic Socialists of America’s Sacramento chapter.
On the city’s biggest issue of homelessness, both candidates want to open homeless Safe Grounds for people to live while they await permanent housing. On enforcement, McCarty has said the city should clear homeless people even if a shelter bed is not available, as is allowed under the June U.S. Supreme Court Grants Pass decision, while Cofer has called those so-called sweeps “harmful.”
On the topic of police, neither candidate wants to lay off officers, but Cofer wants to, over time, remove $70 million from the police budget and shift it toward hiring more non-police personnel to respond to non-criminal 911 calls. She said she selected that figure because that’s how much Measure U money has gone to the police. McCarty said he wants to do the opposite — add to the police budget to hire more officers. He frequently points out the department has fewer officers than it did prior to the Great Recession, although the city’s population has grown. He has said hiring officers won’t be doable for the fiscal year that starts July 1 however, as it has a projected deficit of $77 million.
The two candidates also differ about whether to keep City Manager Howard Chan in his post. Chan is asking for a year-long contract extension before the end of the year. Minutes after the new mayor and two new council members are sworn in on Dec. 10, they will have to consider the contract extension. Cofer has said she will not support an extension because she won’t have enough time to evaluate his performance, which will mean he will quit. McCarty has said he would support keeping Chan in his post another year.
The winner will be sworn in on Dec. 10 along with two new council members.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:15 PM.
