Brandvold keeps big lead in race for Modesto mayor

Challenger Ted Brandvold’s big lead is holding up in Modesto’s mayoral runoff election.

The Stanislaus County elections office released updated results Friday from Tuesday’s election. Brandvold now has 15,447 votes, or 58 percent, compared with 11,031 votes, or 42 percent, for incumbent Garrad Marsh. Brandvold had 59 percent of the vote Tuesday.

Though the results are not yet official, Marsh conceded Tuesday. The balloting was conducted by mail over the past month, and voters who did not sign their envelopes have until Wednesday of next week to do so. The elections office said there about 200 envelopes that need signatures, and it has notified these voters.

The office expects to release official election results Wednesday. Brandvold is expected to be sworn in at the next City Council meeting after the results become official. The office said 26,516 votes were cast among Modesto’s 91,373 registered voters for a turnout of 29 percent.

Marsh and Brandvold were among five mayoral candidates in the Nov. 3 election. A runoff was held because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote. Marsh was the top vote-getter in November with 39 percent of the vote; Brandvold was second with 30 percent.

Brandvold, 56, is an architect and owns Commercial Architecture.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Brandvold keeps big lead in race for Modesto mayor."