San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry has overtaken Councilman Scott Sherman for second place in the race for San Diego mayor as the San Diego County Registrar of Voters continues to count ballots from the March 3 primary.
Bry, a Democrat, was in third place on election night, trailing the Republican Sherman by more than 3,000 votes. But as more votes were counted, Bry steadily gained on Sherman. As of Thursday night, Bry was leading by 522 votes.
Democratic Assemblyman Todd Gloria has held a commanding lead since election night, winning roughly 42% of the vote. Bry and Sherman each have about 23%.
The Registrar of Voters estimates it has 22,000 ballots from throughout the county left to count. It is unclear how many of those are from the city of San Diego.
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A runoff between Bry and Gloria would mean a Democrat is guaranteed to take over the mayor's office in December. Outside the brief tenure of disgraced former Mayor Bob Filner, and setting aside interim mayors who have filled in after resignations, Republicans have occupied the San Diego mayor's office since the early 1990s.
But Bry and Gloria have staked out notably different positions on several issues affecting the city. Bry has expressed skepticism of growth and development, particularly in San Diego's single-family neighborhoods, while Gloria has embraced the pro-density "YIMBY" movement that advocates for more housing.
Gloria has held a significant advantage in fundraising and high-profile endorsements throughout the campaign, winning the support of the San Diego County Democratic Party, the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce — which historically favors Republicans.
