Santa Clara Mayor Election: Karen Hardy Leads Kathy Watanabe in Six-Candidate Race

SANTA CLARA — November 3, 2026. Councilmember Karen Hardy led the race to become Santa Clara’s next mayor, but the six-candidate contest remained unsettled in the 11:21 p.m. Pacific count. Hardy had 3,649 votes (23.6%); Kathy Watanabe was second with 3,183 (20.6%), according to the San José Spotlight’s election-night report, which cited county figures.

The rest of the field

David Kertes stood third at approximately 18.9%, followed by Kevin Park at 17.1%, Armando “Gary” Ferraris at 12.1% and Mike Wiltberger at 7.3%. Those rounded percentages were supplied by local reporting and can change as additional county ballots are counted. This election chooses one mayor, not six council seats.

What the candidates told local media

Hardy, a longtime councilmember and retired teacher, spoke with San José Spotlight after the first results and expressed appreciation for residents’ support while recognizing that counting was incomplete. Watanabe, a former councilmember and current school trustee, told the same newsroom that her campaign had done its work and would watch incoming votes. These comments reflect their own reactions, not independent predictions of the outcome.

What is at stake?

Santa Clara’s mayor will help guide decisions affecting public utilities, housing and city services in a community that also hosts major regional employers and events. Incumbent Mayor Lisa Gillmor is term-limited, making this an open-seat contest. The candidates’ backgrounds and policy differences matter, but no one should infer the winner from an incomplete first-night report.

Official results and updates

The county was expected to publish its next update by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, according to local reporting. Sources: San José Spotlight: six-candidate mayoral race and reactions; Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters. Figures above are specifically the 11:21 p.m. November 3 snapshot, not certified results.

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