Flojaune Cofer leads Eric Guerra in early returns for Sac County supervisor seat
Flojaune Cofer led Eric Guerra in early returns to replace Phil Serna in the District 1 seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
As of about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Cofer had 52.9% of votes tallied, compared with 47.1% for Guerra, with around 28% of expected votes counted, according to the county election office.
Cofer supporters gathered at Calabash Caribbean on Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento. The early votes came in as national returns seemed to suggest a big night for Democratic candidates across the country.
“This is a change election,” Cofer said just after the first batch of results were announced. “People are tired of the status quo and business as usual and are ready for something new. And I’m grateful that our message has resonated with so many early voters.”
Cofer, an epidemiologist who lost a close race for Sacramento mayor in 2024, and Guerra, a veteran of the Sacramento City Council, advanced to the November general election after winning the most votes out of four competitors in the June primary.
Guerra attended a watch party at The Mix at 1525 L St. in Sacramento’s central city with a variety of other officials including Rep. Ami Bera, D-Elk Grove, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper and Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho.
“This is an early night, and it’s going to be awhile,” Guerra said. “And as we’ve seen in all the other races, it’ll go up and down, so it really matters very little who’s up or down in the first count.”
The gathering that Guerra attended attracted other prominent names from Sacramento’s political scene, including current City Council members Roger Dickinson and Phil Pluckebaum and former Mayor Darrell Steinberg. The mood at the event was celebratory, with the Democrats taking control of both houses of Congress.
“This is a great night and it is actually a repudiation of the ultimate in divisive politics and that is Trumpism,” Steinberg told The Bee.
Steinberg was more coy when asked whether he had endorsed Guerra or Cofer, though he allowed that Guerra was his friend and that he “certainly gave him a lot of advice.”
Also at the gathering was Sacramento Municipal Utility District board member Gregg Fishman, who endorsed Guerra.
“Eric and I are longtime friends and mutual allies and supporters in things in our local races,” Fishman said. “So I’m hopeful that he’s going to pull things out.”
At Cofer’s event, attorney Mark Merin, a longtime advocate for the homeless, said that he was confident Cofer would excel as a county supervisor.
“I’m looking forward to the changes that she’s going to make possible in the county as a whole, on every level," Merin said.
District 1 covers much of the city of Sacramento, including downtown, East Sacramento, Natomas and Oak Park.
In the June primary, Cofer led the four candidates with 45.6% of the vote, falling several percentage points short of the majority of votes that would have avoided a November election. Guerra received 29.4% of the vote.
Deborah Ortiz, who formerly served on the Sacramento City Council and in the Legislature, also ran in June, as did Tim Riley, a political novice. The two collectively received 25% of the vote.
The District 1 seat opened up after Serna, the son of former Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr., announced in October 2025 that he would not seek a fifth term.
Serna endorsed Guerra, who is also supported by three other Sacramento supervisors and Sacramento council members Dickinson, Pluckebaum and Rick Jennings.
The Sacramento Bee’s updated voter guide on the District 1 race noted that donors to Cofer’s campaign include former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo, retired Sacramento County Public Health Officer Olivia Kasirye and the Women Democrats of Sacramento County.
In remarks to supporters around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, Cofer projected optimism.
“Two years ago, we planted a seed for Sacramento that more is possible,” Cofer told supporters. “And when all the ballots are counted, I am trusting that we have an opportunity to prove it to the region.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2026 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Flojaune Cofer leads Eric Guerra in early returns for Sac County supervisor seat."
CORRECTION: A headline and photo caption on this story incorrectly spelled Flojaune Cofer’s name.
