November 2026 Midterm Election Results in Santa Barbara County

Midterm election night brought a mix of decisive wins and nail-biters to Santa Barbara County, with former councilmember Eric Friedman holding a narrow lead over Councilmember Kristen Sneddon in the race for Santa Barbara mayor, and a razor-thin margin separating the two candidates vying for the county's 5th District supervisor seat.

According to results compiled by the Santa Barbara Independent from county and state election offices, Friedman led Sneddon 47.02% to 44.71% — a gap of 433 votes — in the first post-poll-close tally released at 11 p.m. Tuesday. Wendy Sims-Moten trailed at 5.51%, with Matt Kilrain at 2.37%.

Turnout stood at just over 31% as of the 11 p.m. regional reporting, with 77,509 votes processed against 154,838 total cards cast and 249,802 registered voters countywide. Elections officials continued to process mail ballots through the night and into Wednesday, meaning the mayor's race — and several other close contests — could shift as late-arriving and provisional ballots are counted. California counties have weeks to certify final results.

A Supervisor's Race Separated by Under 100 Votes

The tightest contest on the local ballot is the 5th District county supervisor race, where Valencia led incumbent-adjacent challenger Maribel Aguilera 50.65% to 48.85% — a margin of just 96 votes (2,707 to 2,611) in the early count. The 5th District, which has historically drawn intense political interest in the county, may not be resolved for days as additional ballots are tallied.

The Allan Hancock Joint Community College District's Measure H2026, an affordable higher education bond measure, was passing with 56.28% of the vote, above the 55% threshold typically required for such measures.

City Council Races: Incumbents and Challengers Mix

Santa Barbara's district-based council races produced clearer outcomes. In District 4, Devon Wardlow led with 51.65%, ahead of Monte Wilson's 25.37%. In District 5, Ian Baucke held a commanding 62.54% lead over Cevin Cathell. In District 6, Gabe Escobedo appeared headed to victory with 69.36% of the vote.

School board contests split between a blowout and a squeaker. Jacqueline (Inda) Karlsen won the SBUSD Trustee Area 1 seat decisively with 64.41% over Mark Philibosian, while the Trustee Area 4 race remained too close to call, with Valerie Amparan at 41.81% and Rose Muñoz at 40.73% — a 23-vote difference in the early count.

Neighboring cities saw more comfortable margins. In Goleta, Luz Reyes-Martín won the District 1 council seat with nearly 69% of the vote, and James Kyriaco led Phebe Mansur in District 2, 58.48% to 41.42%. Lompoc Mayor Jeremy Ball won reelection handily over James Mosby, 61.01% to 38.38%, while Buellton voters chose David Silva as mayor with 64.66% over Dave King. Lompoc council races went to Victor Vega in District 2 and Sarah Anne Read in District 3, and Billy Silvola led Mark Williams in Buellton's District 1 contest.

Democrats Sweep Federal and State Races

At the federal level, Rep. Salud Carbajal won reelection in the 24th Congressional District, taking 65.8% districtwide (109,061 votes) against challenger Bob Smith's 34.2%, according to the California Secretary of State. In Santa Barbara County alone, Carbajal captured 66.5% of the vote with all 235 county precincts reporting.

Assemblymember Gregg Hart similarly secured another term in the 37th Assembly District, defeating Sari Domingues 66.3% to 33.7% districtwide. Hart's margin in Santa Barbara County was even wider, at 67.2%.

The results continue the region's established pattern of Democratic dominance in federal and legislative races — a trend that has held in Santa Barbara County for more than a decade in the 24th District seat, previously held by Lois Capps and now Carbajal since 2017.

Statewide: Becerra Heads to Sacramento

In California's gubernatorial race, former Health and Human Services Secretary and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton statewide, 64.0% to 36.0%, with 99.8% of precincts reporting by early Wednesday morning. Becerra's margin in Santa Barbara County was even stronger, at 65.6%.

The rest of the statewide Democratic slate appeared to sweep their races: Fiona Ma won lieutenant governor with 63.8%, Shirley N. Weber won reelection as secretary of state with 64.7%, Malia M. Cohen won controller with 63.8%, Eleni Kounalakis won treasurer with 64.0%, and Rob Bonta was leading in the attorney general's race, all against Republican challengers.

What Comes Next

For Santa Barbara residents, the immediate question is how the outstanding ballots reshape the closest races. The county's elections office will continue posting updated results — historically, late-counted mail ballots in California trend toward younger and more progressive voters, though every cycle differs. Candidates in the mayor's race and the 5th District supervisor contest will be watching each update closely; certification deadlines under state law stretch into early December.

Whoever wins the mayor's office will steer the city through ongoing challenges including housing production, water reliability, and State Street's post-pandemic redesign. The new council members in Districts 4, 5, and 6 will join a body reshaped by district elections that continue to alter the political geography of City Hall.

For the latest official tallies, voters can check the Santa Barbara County elections results page directly or the California Secretary of State's site for state and federal contests. The Independent noted that races with wide margins may have effectively been decided election night, but final counts on tighter races might not be known for days.

Results cited reflect reporting as of the timestamps published by the Santa Barbara Independent and the California Secretary of State on election night and early Wednesday morning.