{"id":952,"date":"2026-06-03T08:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=952"},"modified":"2026-06-03T08:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:30:11","slug":"conservative-school-board-president-sonja-shaw-leads-in-primary-for-state-superintendent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=952","title":{"rendered":"Conservative school board president Sonja Shaw leads in primary for state superintendent"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Sonja Shaw \u2014 a Trump-aligned conservative Republican whose public profile rose as she became identified with culture-war causes, including banning transgender athletes from girls\u2019 sports \u2014 has emerged as the leading vote-getter in the June primary for California\u2019s superintendent of public instruction.<\/p>\n

Read more LAUSD school board incumbents ahead in early returns in races devoid of pro-charter money<\/a><\/p>\n

With more than 80% of precincts at least partially reporting, Shaw was well ahead of Democrat Richard Barrera, holding a lead that would be difficult to surmount.<\/p>\n

Both Shaw and Barrera are school board presidents.<\/p>\n

Shaw heads the elected Board of Education for Chino Valley Unified in San Bernardino County, a diverse but substantially conservative inland portion of Southern California.<\/p>\n

Barrera heads the school board of San Diego Unified, the state\u2019s second largest school district, serving an area with liberal leanings, but that is also politically diverse.<\/p>\n

In the primary Shaw was greatly helped by a candidate field that included seven Democrats \u2014 most with a voter and financial base that would make them competitive. Incoming results show they divided votes among themselves. <\/p>\n

Shaw managed to consolidate the Republican vote, which put her on top for the primary. A second Republican candidate finished far behind her.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday night, Shaw sounded hopeful and confident that her campaign themes were resonating beyond her conservative roots. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am humbled and grateful that Californians from every corner of our state have rallied behind this campaign,\u201d Shaw said in a statement. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve built is more than a campaign. It\u2019s a diverse movement of communities who believe our schools can do better and who are determined to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Luna leads Villanueva in early L.A. County sheriff\u2019s race results<\/a><\/p>\n

Among its high-profile actions, the Chino Valley board majority put forward a policy that would require parents to be notified if their child expressed gender-identity issues at school. Shaw and her allies also approved a policy that allows parents to challenge the content of library books. <\/p>\n

Positioned in a runoff against one Democrat \u2014 in a state where Democrats dominate \u2014 makes for a challenging campaign. <\/p>\n

\u201cTonight is not the finish line,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cIt\u2019s the beginning of the final stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrera, who was not available for comment late Tuesday night, benefited immensely from a $5 million independent expenditure campaign from the California Teachers Assn., which, in the recent past, has seemed determined to spend whatever it takes to get an ally into the state superintendent\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Barrera, besides his work as a longtime public official, has been a senior aide to current state Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Thurmond could not run again because of term limits and instead mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor. <\/p>\n

The state superintendent has limited authority over school districts, which are locally managed. The officeholder instead manages the California Department of Education. This agency guides local school districts and also provides partial oversight. The state superintendent also typically takes advantage of the bully pulpit on education issues.<\/p>\n

The office has an uncertain future because Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing a proposal to reimagine the office and redistribute some of its duties.<\/p>\n

Read more Early returns indicate L.A. County voters have doubts about healthcare sales tax measure<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shaw, a Republican, holds sizable lead in state superintendent race as Democratic contenders split votes. In second is San Diego board president Richard Barrera.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nConservative school board president Sonja Shaw leads in primary for state superintendent - California Relocation Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=952\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conservative school board president Sonja Shaw leads in primary for state superintendent - California Relocation Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shaw, a Republican, holds sizable lead in state superintendent race as Democratic contenders split votes. 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