This story has been updated with fresh results and comments here.

Original story:

Early voting results for Fresno County Supervisor District 2 shows Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld with a sizeable lead compared to incumbent Steve Brandau. Bredefeld’s 56.96% outpaces Brandau’s 42.71% with 29% of votes cast and zero precincts reporting.

The race between Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez and County Supervisor Sal Quintero for District 3 also has the councilmember beating out the incumbent 54.58% to 45.28%.

The new supervisor term starts Jan. 6.

District 2 covers much of north Fresno, parts of Clovis and county islands. The district holds a 39% to 35% Republican registration advantage over Democrats, with 18% no party preference.

District 3 covers much of south Fresno and surrounding areas with a 47% Democrat to 24% Republican advantage. Another 19% have no party preference.

GV Wire will update results as they come in.

Both Races Pit Friends Against Each Other

The two races shared similarities. Both pitted an incumbent supervisor against a current Fresno city councilmember. Both challengers could be considered trying to unseat former friends.

Brandau and Bredefeld served together on the city council, and both had a likeminded conservative approach.

Bredefeld criticized Brandau for his handling of the pandemic, homelessness, and lack of transparency when code enforcement officers discovered an illegal biolab in Reedley. The lab’s operator remains in jail on federal charges.

Chavez once served as Quintero’s chief of staff when the latter served as a Fresno city councilmember. When Quintero won his first term to the Board of Supervisors in 2016, Chavez succeeded him to the city council.

During the election cycle, the county sued Bredefeld and Chavez, alleging they violated local campaign finance law by transferring more money than allowed, in excess of the $30,000 cap. Both candidates switched money from their city council accounts to the county accounts.

Bredefeld and Chavez prevailed in court.

Bredefeld raised just a tad more than Brandau, through Oct. 19 by $3,720. Both raised in excess of three-quarters of a million dollars.

Chavez also had a thin contribution margin over Quintero by $1,637. Both raised more than a quarter-million dollars.

Related Story: Councilmembers Want Answers on Lawsuit. We Have Them.

Special Election Possible

If Chavez’s lead holds, he must resign his city council position. Last elected in 2022, his term would expire in January 2027.

The Fresno City Charter mandates that, within 30 days of the vacancy, the city council call for a special election between 90 days and the date of the next scheduled eleciton (March 2026).

That means a likely April 2025 special election, with a runoff if no candidate wins a majority.