Brandon Vang claims victory in re-election bid for Fresno Council District 5 seat
Incumbent Brandon Vang has proclaimed himself the outright winner of the District 5 Fresno City Council race just over a week after the June 2 primary election.
He secured 4,014 votes, or 52.94%, as of the latest count update on Tuesday at 3:54 p.m.
“The voters of District 5 have once again spoken, and they trust the work and progress we have made to make District 5 a better place for all,” Vang said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I am deeply grateful for the confidence our community has placed in me. This victory belongs to every neighbor, family, and small business owner who believes in a stronger, safer, and more prosperous District 5. I am ready to continue the work.”
Election officials have a little over 30,000 ballots left to count and plan to release another update on Thursday.
Vang left election night with a slim majority lead, and it has only climbed as votes continued to be counted the past week. State Center Community College Trustee Danielle Parra was his next closest challenger. She received 2,329 votes, or 30.72%, as of the latest count.
Parra did not immediately respond to The Bee’s request for comment. The morning after election night, she was hopeful the remaining ballots would push Vang’s lead under the 50% threshold needed for a runoff.
The two other challengers, Jose Leon Barraza, a Former Fresno County Director of Economic Development, had 11.18% of the vote and entrepreneur Nickolas Wildstar had 4.93% as of Wednesdays count.
Vang was first sworn into office on April 10, 2025, becoming the first person of Hmong descent to represent District 5 and the second person in the history of the Fresno City Council. He received just over 50% of the vote in a special election last year.
Before that, Vang served on the Sanger Unified School Board from 2016 until last year.
“Our work is far from finished,” Vang said. “The momentum we’ve built together is just the beginning.”
The three other City Council races - Districts 1, 3 and 7 - all appear to be headed for runoffs.
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 12:20 PM.