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On June 2, Richmond voters will cast their ballots in the city’s first-ever primary election. We wanted to give voters a chance to prepare for this important election — which includes a mayoral race — by asking questions and hearing from the candidates directly.
Richmondside is partnering with Richmond Confidential, a publication of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and The Advocate, the student-led newspaper at Contra Costa College, to co-host and moderate three election forums: for the mayoral race and the city council races in districts 3 and 4. Our newsroom is also partnering El TÃmpano, a media organization serving the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrant communities, to help collect questions for the mayoral candidates from local residents.
The mayoral forum will take place on Wednesday.
At the forums, candidates will briefly present their platforms and take questions from local journalists and audience members. The forums are free and open to all. Spanish interpretation will be available on site, upon request. The forums will also be live-streamed on richmondside.org.
How does the primary work?
For the primary election, only the top two vote-getters in races where no one wins a majority will advance to a run-off in the November general election. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the primary, they will win and that race won’t be on the general election ballot.
There are five candidates running for mayor in the primary: Ahmad Anderson, Claudia Jimenez, Demnlus Johnson, incumbent Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg. Read more about the candidates in our Q&A.
There are two candidates running in city council District 3 and three in District 4. (District 2 incumbent candidate Cesar Zepeda is running unopposed, so will win by default.) There could still be write-in candidates for any of the races, as the filing period for that ends on May 19.
The District 3 forum is May 7, and the District 4 forum will be held May 13.
More election info and resources
Get full coverage of the June 2 primary election, including county races for schools superintendent, assessor and clerk-recorder, with Richmondside’s 2026 primary voter guide.
Key dates: Mail-in ballots will be sent around May 4. The last day to register to vote is May 18. The election is June 2.
Learn more: Visit the city’s election page for additional details and to read candidate statements. Unsure which council district you live in? Check the city’s district map.
We look forward to seeing you at these events and to helping you learn more about who is competing to represent you at City Hall.
