Modesto mayor’s race appears to be headed to runoff

Modesto Mayor Garrad Marsh was leading in Tuesday’s election results but may not garner enough votes to avoid a runoff election with an unheralded candidate who entered the race at the last minute.

With 69 percent of the precincts reporting, Marsh had received 3,882 votes, or 39.1 percent; architect and former Planning Commissioner Ted Brandvold had received 2,915 votes, or 29.4 percent; Councilman Dave Lopez had received 2,022 votes, or 20.4 percent; former Mayor Carmen Sabatino had received 972 votes, or 9.8 percent; and Armando Arreola had received 117 votes, or 1.2 percent of the vote.

A mayoral candidate needs to receive at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff election. As it stood late Tuesday, Marsh and Brandvold were heading to a Feb. 2 runoff.

The 67-year-old Marsh, who owns McHenry Bowl, has the advantages of incumbency, broad-based support and fundraising. He raised more than $115,000 for his campaign, roughly five times more than his challengers.

But he said it was difficult for anyone to get more than 50 percent of the vote when there are five candidates in the race. Marsh said he was surprised that Brandvold was doing better than Lopez, who is better known and has served on the council for eight years.

Brandvold, 56, entered the mayoral race Aug. 7, the last day for a candidate to qualify. Brandvold has said he jumped in because he did not think the other candidates would change City Hall.

He said he did as well as he did because his message that city leaders are making decisions without input from citizens, business and surrounding communities resonated with voters. “I look forward to a runoff election if it was to go that way,” he said Tuesday.

City officials, including Marsh, have been criticized for some of their land-use decisions, including keeping Wood Colony, the unincorporated farming community west of Highway 99, in the city’s growth plans after many colony residents protested that decision.

But Marsh also expressed confidence in his chances in a runoff.

He spoke at the McHenry Museum, where more than 300 of his supporters gathered Tuesday night for an election party. Marsh said these supporters represent a wide swath of Modesto. “I’m really humbled by all of the people who supported me and will continue to support me,” he said.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Modesto mayor’s race appears to be headed to runoff."