Sonja Shaw, a Trump-aligned conservative Republican whose public profile rose when she was identified with culture war causes, including the ban on transgender athletes in women's sports, has emerged as the leading vote-getter in the June primary for California superintendent of public instruction.
With more than 80% of precincts reporting at least partially, Shaw was well ahead of Democrat Richard Barrera, with a lead that would be difficult to overcome.
Both Shaw and Barrera are school board presidents.
Shaw heads the elected Board of Education of the Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County, a diverse but substantially conservative part of Southern California's interior.
Barrera heads the school board for San Diego Unified, the state's second-largest school district, which serves a liberal-leaning but also politically diverse area.
In the primary, Shaw was greatly helped by a field of candidates that included seven Democrats, most with a voter and financial base that would make them competitive. The incoming results show that they split the votes between themselves.
Shaw managed to consolidate the Republican vote, which placed her at the head of the primaries. A second Republican candidate finished well behind her.
On Tuesday night, Shaw seemed hopeful and confident that her campaign themes resonated beyond her conservative roots.
“I am honored and grateful that Californians from all corners of our state have joined this campaign,” Shaw said in a statement. “What we have built is more than a campaign. It is a diverse movement of communities that believe our schools can improve and are determined to make it happen.”
Among its high-profile actions, the Chino Valley board majority introduced a policy that would require parents to be notified if their child expresses gender identity issues at school. Shaw and her allies also passed a policy allowing parents to question the content of library books.
Being in a second round against a Democrat (in a state where Democrats dominate) is a challenging campaign.
“Tonight is not the goal,” Shaw said. “It's the beginning of the final stretch.”
Barrera, who was not available for comment Tuesday night, benefited immensely from a $5 million independent spending campaign by the California Teachers Association, which, in the recent past, seemed determined to spend whatever it took to gain an ally in the state superintendent's office.
Barrera, in addition to his work as a long-time public official, has been a top assistant to current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Thurmond was unable to run again due to term limits and instead mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor.
The state superintendent has limited authority over school districts, which are managed locally. Instead, the official administers the California Department of Education. This agency guides local school districts and also provides partial oversight. The state superintendent also often takes advantage of the pulpit on education issues.
The office has an uncertain future because Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing a proposal to reinvent the office and redistribute some of its functions.
