Who will be Sacramento’s next mayor? We may not know this week
For Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and Flojaune Cofer, nearly a year and a half of campaigning is now over.
Yet, we still don't know who Sacramento's next mayor will be.
And we may not know this week.
McCarty had the lead in early returns, with about 55.5% of the vote, compared to Cofer's 44.5%, as of results released in the last batch before Friday.
However, only about 40% of the votes have been counted, said Paul Mitchell, vice president of bipartisan voting data firm Political Data Inc.
"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."
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.
The county will post the next batch of results Friday, and it's possible the winner will be known then, Mitchell said. It's also possible we won't know until next week.
Roger Dickinson has strong lead
In the Sacramento council seat representing North Sacramento, Roger Dickinson has a lead over Stephen Walton.
Dickinson, a former state assemblyman, has about 63% of the vote in early returns, while Walton has 37%.
"I think the voters are looking for experience," Dickinson said from his Election Night party Tuesday at Stoney's Rockin' Rodeo. "They're looking for someone who can come in and get us the attention and resources we need and deserve in this part of the city."
The new mayor and two new council members will be sworn in on Dec. 10. Phil Pluckebaum will serve in the seat representing the central city and East Sacramento.
The Bee's Paul Kitagaki Jr. contributed to this report.
