It appears that, according to unofficial election results posted Nov. 22, political newcomer Sue Wilson is still leading the race for Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) leader Gayle McLaughlin’s Richmond City Council seat representing the southern part of the city.
McLaughlin announced last summer she would not be seeking another term after a 20-year career in Richmond politics.
As of Friday afternoon, when the county posted updated election results, Wilson had received 56.5% of the votes cast in the race with all precincts reporting.
Anderson told Richmondside earlier this month that he contacted Wilson to congratulate her the day after the Nov. 5 election.
“I know there still may be votes on the table and anything could happen but nevertheless I would have reached out regardless,” Anderson said. “She waged a great campaign and I look forward to still serving the community as I always have. I’ve been here before and I’ve never left the city of Richmond.”
One election takeaway Anderson said that was concerning to him was what appears to be a low voter turnout across the city based on the initial election results.
“Folks didn’t get out to vote,” he said. “That has always been a concern in the city of Richmond whether it is the districts or citywide. Folks are still not voting.”
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“I do have a lot of respect for that guy and definitely for the race he ran.”
— Sue Wilson, on her apparent win over Ahmad Anderson
Wilson said on Wednesday that she was “encouraged” by the initial election results.
“I’m really appreciative of the support voters have shown for my campaign,” she said, though adding that with Trump’s presidential victory the aftermath of the election has been “bittersweet.”
She added that she felt she and Anderson stayed clear of personal attacks during their campaigns, which she appreciated.
“He set a standard, and I tried to adhere to that standard of political disagreement with nothing short of personal respect for each other,” she said. “I do have a lot of respect for that guy and definitely for the race he ran.”
The district includes a number of neighborhoods: Marina Bay, Richmond Annex, Eastshore, Cortez/Stege, Panhandle Annex, Parkview, Laurel Park and Southwest Annex.
Leading up to the election, Richmondside interviewed D5 residents who told us that safe, driveable streets — particularly Carlson Boulevard — and crime were two of their main concerns in their neighborhoods.Residents also mentioned they’re concerned about environmental cleanup needed in areas such as the Zeneca site.
Richmond election results
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Anderson, whose parents both served terms as Richmond’s mayor, previously ran in 1985 and 2020 but fell short in those attempts. He has campaigned on the issues of economic development and improved public safety and received endorsements from the 23rd Street Merchants Association and local trade unions.
Currently, Anderson works as the director of people and culture for the Gardens of Golden Gate Park and previously worked in human resources positions at FedEx, UPS, DHL and Goodwill.
Wilson works currently as a labor union consultant and has worked on local RPA-backed campaigns since the early-2010s.
Wilson, a candidate backed by the RPA and endorsed by McLaughlin, received endorsements from local environmental protection group Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), the Richmond Firefighters Union (IAFF) and unions including the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21 and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
She has also received endorsements from RPA-backed candidates currently on the city council — Mayor Eduardo Martinez, Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez and District 1 councilmember Melvin Willis.
Both Anderson and Wilson have said that they would advocate for transparency in how the $550 million the city will be receiving from Chevron is spent.
District 5, which has 19,675 residents, had the second-most registered voters (11,302) and voter turnout (8,935) of Richmond’s six council districts in the 2020 election ranking behind only District 4 which — out of 19,464 residents — had 12,648 registered voters, 10,318 of which voted in that election , according to city data. Comparatively, District 1, which had a population of 19,495, had the lowest registered voters (8,487) and the lowest voter turnout (6,595).
