PETALUMA, CA — The polls are closed in Sonoma County, and Petaluma voters will soon know if Mike McGuire or James Gallagher will fill the U.S. House District 1 seat, if billionaires will get their own California tax, and whether a blue wave will flood Congress, possibly sinking the final two years of President Donald Trump's lame-duck presidency.
Millions of voters and election officials wait not only for the results but also for the president's reaction. Trump's Justice Department spent the final two weeks of the campaign season issuing subpoenas to California election officials and suing to block 20,000 Golden State ballots from being counted amid allegations of illegal voting. The Justice Department issued subpoenas for multiple California election officials to appear in court the day after the election.
Amid that contentious backdrop, Californians cast their ballots for a new governor, widely expected to be Democrat Xavier Becerra, who went into the election with a wide lead in the polls over Republican Steve Hilton.
The outcome of dozens of down-ballot primary races also hangs in the balance in Sonoma County. Petaluma voters are waiting to see who will be the next mayor and who will fill multiple city council seats.
Scroll down for real-time Sonoma County election results.
Click here to track your ballot and make sure it is counted.
As of September, the California Secretary of State reported that 23,164,977 Californians were registered to vote, which accounts for more than 85 percent of the state's eligible voting population.
Not surprisingly, there are far more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state, with 45 percent for the former and 25 percent for the latter. [Find your county's registration stats here on page 17 of the Secretary of State's report].
In Sonoma County, the rate of voter registration is high. As of September, it topped 89 percent — with 55 percent of voters registered as Democrats, 18 percent as Republicans.
Based on early voting, California is poised to see 60 percent of registered voters head to the polls, a record for a gubernatorial race, Paul Mitchell, of political data analysis firm Political Data told The San Francisco Chronicle.
While the governor's race was expected to be called early Tuesday, it's California's congressional races and ballot measures poised to offer the biggest upsets and surprises. Hanging in the balance is control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Mitchell predicted that five key redrawn congressional districts appear poised to deliver Democratic victories driven, in part, by high turnout among Latino voters.
"I think the blue wave is on track," Mitchell told The Chronicle. "It seems to be on track that we're going to have a really strong turnout."
So far, voter turnout has been higher in competitive races such as the Central Valley's District 22 and the 48th Congressional District in San Diego — two districts Democrats hope to flip after their mid-decade gerrymander.
As of Oct. 29, Democratic voters represented 51 percent of ballots returned statewide compared to just 28 percent among Republican voters, according to the Political Data tracker.
Can't see the widget? Click here for all County election results. Be sure to refresh this page for the latest.
Incumbent Kevin McDonnell faces John Hanania and Shelina Moreda in a three-way contest that is currently led by the incumbent.
Unofficial results as of 8:12 p.m. according to Sonoma County election results. Vote counting continues.
Petaluma mayor — Citywide: Kevin McDonnell is leading with 59 percent of the votes, followed by Shelina Moreda with 31 percent and John Hanania with 10 percent (6,223 votes to 3,334 votes to 1,041 votes).
Petaluma City Council, District 1 — Incumbent Janice Cader Thompson is leading with 69 percent of the votes, followed by Nate Martin with 16 percent and Alan W. LaPierre with 15 percent (1,030 votes to 235 votes to 228 votes).
Petaluma City Council, District 2 — Brent Newell is leading with 54 percent of the votes, followed by incumbent John Shribbs with 46 percent (882 votes to 755 votes).
Petaluma City Council, District 3 — Eric Vazquez is leading with 58 percent of the votes, followed by incumbent Karen Nau with 42 percent (763 votes to 544 votes).
Sonoma County Board of Education, Trustee Area 2 — Jonathan Lenz is leading with 52 percent of the votes, followed by Caitlin Quinn with 48 percent, in the race to represent southwest county (7,339 votes to 6,820 votes).
Petaluma City Schools, Trustee Area 3 — Laura Holmes is leading with 65 percent of the votes, followed by John Garcia with 35 percent (1,522 votes to 804 votes).
Petaluma City Schools, Trustee Area 5 — Sarah Seitchik Sebastian is leading with 51 percent of the votes, followed by John La Bare with 49 percent (1,160 votes to 1,112 votes).
Petaluma is split between two congressional districts for the Nov. 3, 2026 election. The following totals cover only the Sonoma County portions of those districts:
U.S. House, District 2: Democratic incumbent Jared Huffman is leading with 83 percent of the votes, followed by Republican Robin Littau with 17 percent (10,767 votes to 2,274 votes).
U.S. House, District 4: Democratic incumbent Mike Thompson is leading with 56 percent of the votes, followed by Democrat Eric Jones with 44 percent (13,464 votes to 10,630 votes).
Early returns show support above the required approval thresholds for parks and community college funding and for two elementary school bond measures that appear only on ballots within their respective school districts.
Measure H — All Petaluma voters: Yes is leading with 77 percent of the votes, followed by no with 23 percent, exceeding the two-thirds approval threshold in the early count. The measure would continue the existing countywide one-eighth-cent parks sales tax until voters end it, supporting parks, trails, habitat, water protection and wildfire prevention (67,037 yes votes to 20,302 no votes).
Measure AB — All Petaluma voters: Yes is leading with 65 percent of the votes, followed by no with 35 percent, exceeding the 55 percent approval threshold in the early count. The measure would authorize $830 million in Sonoma County Junior College District bonds for Santa Rosa Junior College facilities, repairs and career-training spaces (55,856 yes votes to 30,095 no votes).
Measure E — Waugh School District voters: Yes is leading with 56 percent of the votes, followed by no with 44 percent, exceeding the 55 percent approval threshold in the early count. The measure would authorize $16 million in bonds for school repairs, modernization and safety improvements (647 yes votes to 499 no votes).
Measure O — Old Adobe Union School District voters: Yes is leading with 56 percent of the votes, followed by no with 44 percent, exceeding the 55 percent approval threshold in the early count. The measure would authorize $48 million in bonds for school repairs, accessibility improvements and modernization (2,476 yes votes to 1,964 no votes).
California voters headed to the polls Tuesday, facing high gas and grocery prices, the effects of climate change on wildfires and rising seas amid a shortage in insurance coverage and the ever-present housing affordability crisis.
The governor's race was somewhat anticlimactic following a chaotic primary with a crowded field of candidates roiled when the frontrunner was forced to step down amid sexual assault allegations. Since then, Becerra maintained a steady lead over Hilton in the polls.
In the final days of the election, a new SurveyUSA poll showed Becerra with a 22-point lead.
Click here for real-time results in the California Governor's races.
All 52 of California's Congressional seats were on the ballot.
Congressional races across California were under intense scrutiny following voter approval of Proposition 50, a partisan redistricting measure expected to reshape the state's political map. Thanks to the redistricting, only a handful of districts were truly competitive. Democrats hoped to flip as many as five Republican House seats in a bid to overturn the GOP's slim House majority.
Democrats think they can flip as many as five seats, with four seeming very much in reach, according to the polls. Both parties are spending like control of the House is on the line.
Click here for real-time results in California's Congressional races.
There were 14 statewide propositions on the ballot this week. Arguably, the most hot-button ballot initiatives involve taxation. Proposition 40 is the highly discussed billionaire tax, while Propositions 41 and 42 aim to counter the measure. Proposition 3 also addresses taxes on the state's highest earners.
Click here for real-time results for all of California's ballot measures.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Petaluma Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.