Only 319 votes separate Nick Richardson and Roger Bonakdar in their race to represent northeast Fresno on the city council.

Richardson holds the lead in District 6 — 50.65% to 49.13%, or a 1.52% advantage — after Fresno County eleciton officials updated numbers as of 12:30 a.m. It may take several more days, or weeks, to determine a final winner.

The numbers remained tight through four result updates from the evening. The first update showed Bonakdar with a 293-vote lead. It slowly dwindled with each update.

Related Story: Bonakdar Leads Richardson By Slim Margin in NE Fresno Council Race

Candidates React to Early Results

Bonakdar expressed optimism with the early lead.

“First place is a great place to be,” Bonakdar said. “I’ve learned that there are a lot of people that care about this community. When you put yourself out there, they’ll step up and support you because they know it really is an issue of sacrifice, especially for someone like me. I’ve got a business and a family and it was a huge time investment that I’m quite proud of, and I’m so thankful that folks were receptive to it.”

City officials spotted at Bonakdar’s party included City Attorney Andrew Janz and Councilmember Mike Karbassi.

Bonakdar, an attorney, said he still plans to practice law if elected.

He raised eight times more than Richardson, totaling more than $450,000.

Richardson, a Marine Corp reservist and safety consultant, said he is in “a position that no one thought we’d be in.”

He said he is amazed about engagement of supporters “regardless of party, regardless of politics. Just to know that someone is out there are willing to hear the issues that they have and to put a fix to them.”

Richardson said voices are not being heard, and he intends to change that. He wants to work on homeless issues, especially helping veterans in need.

“We’ve got a whole list of things that I’m really excited to do, but we’re starting with the things that that hit people are closest, that you only find out when you get out and you talk to the people and you find out what they look in their face,” Richardson told GV Wire from his party at The Standard.

District 6 covers northeast Fresno roughly from Blackstone to Willow avenues and Bullard Avenue to Friant Road.

The term for the new councilmember begins Jan. 7.

Future Updates

The county must certify the election by Dec. 5. While 98,000 ballots remain to be counted, not all will be in the Richardson-Bonakdar race.

Political Data Intelligence reported that 50% voters returned ballots through Tuesday, although all those votes may not have been tallied by the county. Ballot postmarked by Tuesday and arrive by Nov. 12 will still need to be counted.

The next results update is Thursday by 5 p.m.

Controversy Over GOP Endorsement

After the primary, Bonakdar re-registered from no party preference to Republican. He said voters expect candidates to pick a side.

The Fresno County Republican Party gave an unusual dual endorsement but changed its mind in August, siding with Bonakdar.

After news circulated on social media that Richardson answered a questionnaire during the primary from a Fresno gay rights group, the party switched to only endorsing Bonakdar.

The party never officially spoke about the reasons for the about-face.

The district holds a 41% to 32% Republican over Democrat registration advantage, with 18% no party preference.

Clovis Officially Re-Elects Two

In what is likely the last at-large election for Clovis voters, councilmembers Lynne Ashbeck and Vong Mouanoutoua won re-election for Clovis City Council.

The two were the only names on the ballot. No other candidate ran, and no write-in candidates qualified.

Ashbeck received 60%; Mouanoutoua received 49%.

Even though voters could pick up to two, 90% only picked one or left a blank ballot.

Last month, the city council — under pressure from a voting rights group — voted to switch to district elections starting in 2026. Instead of all candidates appearing on one ballot, the city will be divided in to five sections with only candidates who live there running, and voters in that area electing.

Clovis switched from elections in primaries in odd-numbered years, to the November date in even-numbered years in 2022.

Ashbeck won her seventh term in office, first elected in 2001. This will be Mouanoutoua’s third term, winning in 2017 and 2021.