2020 Fresno mayoral election

The 2020 Fresno mayoral election was held on March 3, 2020 to elect the mayor of Fresno, California. Republican Jerry Dyer was elected after winning a majority in the primary.

2020 Fresno mayoral election

March 3, 2020
Turnout	40.29%
Candidate Jerry Dyer Andrew Janz Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 50,914 39,430 Percentage 51.6% 39.9%
Mayor before election Lee Brand Republican Elected Mayor Jerry Dyer Republican

Incumbent mayor Lee Brand did not run for a second term. It was the first time in the city's history in which an incumbent eligible for re-election chose to retire the seat.[1]

Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan; candidates' party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

Candidates

Declared

• Jerry Dyer, former Fresno Chief of Police
• Bill Gates, immigrant and businessman[2]
• Floyd Harris Jr., civil rights activist and pastor[3]
• Brian Jefferson, homeless advocate[2]
• Richard Renteria, former insurance broker and candidate for mayor in 2016
• Andrew Janz, county prosecutor and candidate for U.S. House in 2018[4]
• Nickolas Wildstar, political activist, rapper, and candidate for governor in 2018[5]

Withdrew

• Elliot Balch, operations officer of the Central Valley Community Foundation[6]
• Luis Chavez, city council member[7]

Declined

• Lee Brand, incumbent mayor[1][8]

Endorsements

Jerry Dyer (R)

County officials

• Buddy Mendes, supervisor[4]
• Lisa Smittcamp, district attorney[4]

Organizations

• Fresno Police Officers' Association[9]

Floyd Harris Jr.

Individuals

• Kimberly Williams, college professor and candidate for U.S. House in 2020[10]

Organizations

• Democratic Socialists of America[10]

Andrew Janz (D)

Newspapers

• The Fresno Bee[11]

Orgaizations

• Fresno County Democratic Party[12]
• National Association of Letter Carriers[13]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Lee Brand (R)	Jerry Dyer (R)	Andrew Janz (D)	Other / Undecided
GV Wire	January 4, 2020	500	± 4.0%	–	45%	47%	8%[lower-alpha 1]
GV Wire	April 18–16, 2019	300	± 6.0%	47%	–	53%	–
				24%	39%	37%	–
				18%	31%	26%	25%[lower-alpha 2]

Results

First round

2020 Fresno mayoral election[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jerry Dyer	50,914	51.56
	Democratic	Andrew Janz	39,430	39.93
	No party preference	Floyd Harris Jr.	2,262	2.29
	No party preference	Bill Gates	2,262	2.29
	No party preference	Richard Renteria	2,076	2.10
	Libertarian	Nickolas Wildstar	1,284	1.30
	No party preference	Brian Jefferson	510	0.52
Total votes			98,738	100.00

Runoff

A runoff election was originally scheduled for November 3, 2020, but was cancelled after Dyer won the seat outright.

See also

• 2020 California elections

Footnotes

Notes

1. Undecided 8%
2. Some Other Democrat 15%, Some Other Republican 10%

References

1. McEwen, Bill (February 7, 2020). "Dyer or Janz? Your Guess Is as Good as Any". GV Wire. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
2. Taub, David (February 17, 2020). "Don't Like Dyer or Janz for Mayor? Alternatives Include a Bill Gates". GV Wire. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
3. Tehee, Joshua (October 29, 2019). "Community activist and church leader throws hat into Fresno mayoral race". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
4. Calix, Brianna (February 13, 2020). "Andrew Janz avoids political labels. How will that look if he's Fresno's mayor?". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
5. "Wildstar 2020".
6. Miller, Thaddeus (August 13, 2019). "Another Fresno mayor candidate is out of the race. Who's left?". Retrieved January 15, 2021.
7. Calix, Brianna (August 1, 2019). "Luis Chavez ends bid for Fresno mayor. These candidates are left". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
8. Calix, Brianna (May 20, 2019). "Fresno Mayor Lee Brand won't seek re-election, but field of candidates keeps growing". The Fresno Bee.
9. "Political Endorsements". Fresno Police Officers' Association.
10. "Official Primary Voter Guide" (PDF). DSA Fresno.
11. The Fresno Bee Editorial Board (February 6, 2020). "Jerry Dyer served Fresno for decades. But Andrew Janz is the right choice for mayor". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
12. @FresnoYoungDems (January 24, 2020). "This election is going to be tight, but we can win on March 3rd! Remember to vote for Andrew Janz!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
13. "National Association of Letter Carriers Endorse Andrew Janz for Mayor of Fresno". Fresno County Democrats. January 16, 2020.
14. "RESULTS OF THE MARCH 3, 2020 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION". Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters. April 2, 2020.