Mims with insurmountable lead wins Fresno County supervisor seat. ‘I’m just so gratified’
Former Sheriff Margaret Mims set herself apart in the crowded race for Fresno County supervisor District 4 on Tuesday as results began to roll in on the night of the primary election.
Mims began the night with a commanding lead that only continued to grow by a few points with each update to 64.63% of the vote through 11:15 p.m. for the district that drew six candidates and was left without an incumbent.
By the last update on the night of the primary, it was clear that Mims would win outright. The Fresno County Elections Office typically does not certify an election until the end of the month.
She held the sheriff title for 16 years and retired at the end of 2022 after 42 years in law enforcement, and was the first woman to be hired as an officer in the city of Kerman.
“(The numbers) look fantastic, and I’m just so gratified that people in District 4 had that kind of confidence in me to vote like that,” Mims said from her watch party at the Elbow Room in Fresno. “I’m ready to head back to public life, and hopefully the numbers will stay like this, and I’ll have six months to transition with Supervisor Mendes and be ready to go in January.”
Incumbent Buddy Mendes said he did not intend to seek re-election and threw his support behind Mims. She also led the race in campaign contributions.
The Fresno County Elections Office reported the first 15,911 votes counted through the update. District 4 has 94,631 registered voters, according to the office.
If any candidate gets 50% plus 1 of the vote they win the race outright. If no one meets that standard, the top two vote-getters go to the November general election.
Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran tallied 12.11% of the vote count, and held the second position in the race for the seat in the county’s southwestern district.
The city leader of a dozen years holds a number of seats in countywide board, including the chairperson of both the Fresno Council of Governments and Fresno County Rural Transportation Authority.
Farmer and Selma businessman Narinder Singh Sahota, who also goes by “Nick,” had 10.51% after the initial reporting from the Fresno County Elections Office.
Rey León, who as elected mayor of Huron in 2016, had 8.3% of the tallied votes. The founder and CEO of LEAP (Latino Equity, Advocacy & Policy) Institute announced his intent to run later than many of the candidates.
Newcomer Charlie Soto brought up the rear with 4.3%. He is an IRS auditor, Navy veteran, Fresno State graduate and Kingsburg resident.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 8:28 PM.
