San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria took a major step in his reelection campaign with a 26-point lead Wednesday over his closest challenger and was bound for a November runoff.
The mayor squared off against four challengers in Tuesday’s election, and the top two finishers in the race will go head-to-head in November.
According to returns tallied as of Wednesday, Gloria had 50.9% of the vote, followed by 24.3% for San Diego police officer Larry Turner and 14.1% for Geneviéve Jones-Wright, an attorney/professor/nonprofit executive.
Gloria was initially elected in 2020, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn.
His term has been a challenging one, as San Diego faced a slew of problems, including increasing homelessness and housing costs, the rising threat of fentanyl and most recently, questions about the city’s infrastructure following the Jan. 22 storms.
Mayor Todd Gloria speaks to Democrats at the Westin Hotel. Photo by Ken Stone 
Mayor Todd Gloria prepares to take stage at the Westin Hotel. Photo by Ken Stone 
Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert embraces Mayor Gloria before his remarks to fellow Democrats. Photo by Ken Stone 
Mayor Todd Gloria prepares to speak at the Westin Hotel. Photo by Ken Stone 
Mayor Todd Gloria speaks to Democrats at the Westin Hotel. Photo by Ken Stone 
Mayor Todd Gloria speaks to Democrats at the Westin Hotel. Photo by Ken Stone
Turner’s candidacy, meanwhile, has been challenged in a lawsuit contending he was not a resident or registered voter in the city of San Diego 30 days prior to filing his nomination papers, as required. The lawsuit alleges that Turner was primarily living in El Cajon during that period.
Turner has denied the allegations.
A judge has ruled the suit will not move forward unless Turner is one of the top-two vote getters.
In the hypothetical event of Turner receiving the most or second-most votes in the primary election and subsequently being disqualified, the third-place vote-getter would receive his spot on the November ballot. Another court hearing is set in the case for March 29.
Jones-Wright is an adjunct professor, was a member of the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention and serves as the founding executive director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance.
Jane Glasson, a special education assistant, says her campaign is focused on supporting homeowners and renters. She had received 6.8% of the vote Tuesday.
Also seeking the office is Dan Smiechowski, a real estate professional and frequent commenter at City Council meetings. He currently holds 3.9% of the vote.
There are an estimated 275,000 outstanding ballots left to be counted and the next update is expected after 5 p.m. Thursday.
Updated at 2:49 p.m., Wednesday, March 6, 2024
City News Service contributed to this article.
