Richard Barrera and Sonja Shaw will face each other for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 3, 2026, after advancing from the June 2 primary, Ballotpedia shows.
Barrera, the longtime San Diego Unified School District board president, and Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified board, are the two finalists in the nonpartisan general election for the state’s top elected education post.
The campaign has included a high-profile debate: EdSource reported the candidates met in an Oct. 8 forum where they clashed over parental rights, standardized testing and education politics, with each candidate using the event to sharpen contrasting visions for K–12 schools.
Barrera told EdSource he views the office as “an organizer” who would build coalitions around clear goals for student achievement, while Shaw emphasized a back-to-basics agenda focused on reading, writing and math, the outlet reported.
Ballotpedia’s certified primary results show Shaw was the top vote-getter in June with about 22.6% (1,737,735 votes) and Barrera followed with about 20.3% (1,558,298 votes), and both advanced to the Nov. 3 general election.
Voters deciding the superintendent will also be choosing who serves as a voting member on the UC Board of Regents; EdSource noted the candidates debated whether the University of California should return to using standardized tests in admissions.
For wider context on the California ballot and other statewide contests, readers may find previews of televised gubernatorial events and statewide ballot campaigning useful in understanding how education fits into the larger political calendar: see Steve Hilton to debate Xavier Becerra and Xavier Becerra urges a ‘no’ vote on Prop. 39.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — primary vote totals and confirmation that Richard Barrera and Sonja Shaw advanced to the Nov. 3 general election.
- EdSource — reporting on the Oct. 8 debate where Barrera and Shaw clashed over parental rights, SATs and their visions for the office.
- ECIKS.org — related California election coverage and calendar context referenced for statewide campaign timing.
