Conservative Sonja Shaw is leading the race for California State Superintendent;
Sonja Shaw — a Trump-aligned Republican who has come to the fore publicly as she has been identified with culture war causes, including banning transgender athletes from girls' sports — has emerged as the front-runner in the June primary election for California superintendent of public instruction.
With more than 80% of precincts reporting at least slightly, Shaw was ahead of Democrat Richard Barrera, holding a lead that would be hard to overcome.
Both Shaw and Barrera are school board presidents.
Shaw leads the elected Chino Valley Unified Board of Education in San Bernardino County, a diverse but largely conservative inland part of Southern California.
Barrera leads the San Diego Unified school board, the state's second-largest school district, serving a liberal-leaning, but politically diverse, environment.
Shaw's primary was greatly helped by a candidate field that included seven Democrats – a majority with a voter and financial base that would make them competitive. The incoming results show that they split the votes.
Shaw was able to consolidate the Republican vote, which put him at the top of the primary. The second Republican candidate finished far behind him.
On Tuesday night, Shaw sounded optimistic and confident that the themes of his campaign are consistent with going beyond his roots.
“I am humbled and grateful that Californians from all parts of our state have joined this campaign,” Shaw said in a statement. “What we have built is more than a campaign, it is a diverse group of communities that believe our schools can do better and are determined to make that happen.”
Among its high-profile actions, the Chino Valley board majority enacted a policy that would require parents to be notified if their child expresses gender identity issues at school. Shaw and his colleagues also approved a policy allowing parents to challenge the content of library books.
Being fielded by a single Democrat – in a state where Democrats are in power – makes for a challenging campaign.
“Tonight is not the finish line,” said Shaw. “It's the beginning of the end game.”
Barrera, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, benefited heavily from a $5 million private campaign from the California Teachers Assn., which, in the past, has appeared willing to do whatever it takes to find an ally in the state superintendent's office.
Barrera, in addition to his work as a longtime public official, has been a top aide to current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Thurmond was unable to run again due to term limits and instead mounted an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.
The state superintendent has limited authority over school districts, which are locally managed. The office manager in his capacity manages the California Department of Education. This agency oversees local school districts and provides limited oversight. The superintendent of the state also tends to use the pulpit of bullies in matters of education.
The office has an uncertain future because Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing a proposal to rethink the office and redistribute some of its duties.
