Margaret Mims appears to be headed to victory without a runoff for Fresno County’s District 4 supervisor seat in early balloting through Wednesday morning.

The former sheriff had 63.42% of the vote in her political comeback compared to 12.11% for Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran with 24,102 votes counted (updated on June 9).

To win a race outright in the primary, a candidate must secure 50% plus one vote.

“The numbers look really good, better than I expected,” Mims said. “But it’s too early to declare victory. I worked really hard in this race and I want to thank the voters, as well as my family for putting up with everything involved in my return to politics.”

Fresno County election officials said Wednesday that about 70,000 ballots remain to be counted, a number that could increase as additional vote-by-mail ballots arrive in the coming days.

Updated results are available at this link.

How the Race Shaped Up

Mims entered the race with a huge edge in countywide name recognition over her rivals in the five-candidate field.

Having won four consecutive elections for Fresno County sheriff before announcing her retirement in February 2022, she also was well-versed in fundraising, campaigning and debating.

Asked why she would return to public service, Mims answered, “I have a heart for public service.”

Mims accumulated a decisive edge in campaign contributions while retaining a significant amount of cash on hand in the campaign’s final six weeks.

For the most part, the candidates treated each other with respect, avoiding direct attacks on one another.

Instead, Selma Unified School District trustee and businessman Narinder “Nick” Sahota, Huron Mayor Ray Leon, Beltran and tax auditor Charlie Soto promoted their own accomplishments and credentials while tacitly acknowledging Mims as the frontrunner.

Immigration, Transportation Sales Tax

President Donald Trump’s immigration blitz against undocumented immigrants and the future of the county’s transportation sales tax were the big campaign issues. At a GV Wire forum, all of the candidates in attendance said they would support the Better Roads Safe Streets measure largely crafted by community activists, including Beltran and Leon.

Beltran and Leon, who are both strong advocates of immigrant rights, tried to portray Mims as a supporter of Trump’s tactics.

However, Mims repeatedly countered that ICE should not be pursuing immigrants who have not broken the law.

How the Seat Opened Up

Buddy Mendes announced in October 2025 that he would not seek reelection to a fourth term on the board and immediately endorsed Mims.

Supervisors serve four-year terms, and the seats do not have term limits.