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Mayoral election in San Diego, California (2024)

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← 2020
2024 San Diego elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: December 7, 2023
Primary election: March 5, 2024
General election: November 5, 2024
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor
Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2024

The city of San Diego, California, held a general election for mayor on November 5, 2024. A primary was scheduled for March 5, 2024. The filing deadline for this election was December 7, 2023.

As of 2024, San Diego had term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors could serve two consecutive four-year terms, and could run again after a four year break.


Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

General election

General election for Mayor of San Diego

Incumbent Todd Gloria defeated Larry Turner in the general election for Mayor of San Diego on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Todd Gloria
Todd Gloria (Nonpartisan)
 
55.3
 
317,015
Image of Larry Turner
Larry Turner (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
44.7
 
255,782

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 572,797
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of San Diego

Incumbent Todd Gloria and Larry Turner defeated Geneviéve L. Jones-Wright, Jane L. Glasson, and Dan Smiechowski in the primary for Mayor of San Diego on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Todd Gloria
Todd Gloria (Nonpartisan)
 
50.0
 
132,055
✔
Image of Larry Turner
Larry Turner (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
23.1
 
60,931
Image of Geneviéve L. Jones-Wright
Geneviéve L. Jones-Wright (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
16.0
 
42,196
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Jane L. Glasson (Nonpartisan)
 
7.2
 
18,990
Image of Dan Smiechowski
Dan Smiechowski (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
3.8
 
9,973

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 264,145
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: California elections, 2024

What's on your ballot?
Find out using Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Tool


March 5, 2024
November 5, 2024

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/lturner.jpg

Larry Turner (Nonpartisan)

I am a family man. My amazing wife, Cynthia, and I are raising our two wonderful children, Zac and Zoey, in our beloved San Diego. I care deeply about the future of our city.

The lack of strong, ethical leadership in our city is unacceptable. The mayor should work FOR the people, not against them.

I am a lifelong Independent. I don’t believe in partisan political bickering. I believe in solutions only.

The number one job of any government is ensuring public safety. We must reform police culture in San Diego: establish a relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, attract and retain the best and brightest who embody the San Diego Spirit, and hire behavioral health experts to respond to non-violent calls. We must demand accountability for repeat drug and theft offenders. We must ensure the safety of our housed and unhoused citizens alike: engage with the community on solutions; no “closed-door” plans, no more dehumanizing homeless individuals, “herding” them out-of-sight with no plan to improve their lives. End violent crime hiding amongst, and preying upon, our unsheltered population.

We must return power to the people: San Diegans are tired of the ruling elite who are above the law and above community feedback.

I will not go against San Diegans’ best interests by pandering to friendly donors. Because of the culture of corruption in the Mayor's office, our core city services have been devastated.

In order to restore public trust, we need an honest audit and diagnosis of the problems our city faces, so we can problem solve.

I will cut the city’s overspending for the benefit of taxpayers and allocate the money where it is most needed: fixing our unsafe streets and repairing our city's broken and deadly stormwater management system.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/lturner.jpg

Larry Turner (Nonpartisan)

The professional politician who is in the Mayor's office has lost touch with San Diegans. No more will we tolerate the pay to play system to which we have all become accustomed. San Diegans are plagued with many issues these days, due to corruption in the Mayor’s office. When we end corruption at City Hall, we will end the homelessness humanitarian crisis, restore public safety, and create the reliable, sustainable infrastructure we expect. I will be an independent voice that represents the citizens of San Diego, not a political party. I’m here to deliver solutions only, to save the lives of our homeless struggling to survive (and our businesses alike), and to return safety and dignity to our streets.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/lturner.jpg

Larry Turner (Nonpartisan)

After serving 23 years in the Marine Corps leading our nation’s finest through combat and humanitarian relief missions, I retired as Lieutenant Colonel, returned home to California and answered the call to serve our community. Eight years ago, I traded my camouflage Lieutenant Colonel uniform for SDPD Blue, and I still serve you today as downtown San Diego's Community Relations Officer.

For years I have listened to our local businesses, community leaders, and our most vulnerable citizens in crisis. I have worked on your behalf to create a safer San Diego.

I’ve learned how our city works from your voice, from the streets, up to City Hall. After working with our elected officials, I became disappointed by their lack of care and responsiveness to the needs of our community. I’m not a career politician and I refuse to become one. But, I know what good leadership is, and how a government is supposed to function. This isn’t working.

I believe in servant leadership. The Mayor should work for the people, not against them. As Mayor, I will prioritize transparency and accountability. I have learned that community members have a much deeper understanding of what is best for their community, not politicians at City Hall. Because of this belief, when I am Mayor, community input will be at the heart of the decisions impacting citizens.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/lturner.jpg

Larry Turner (Nonpartisan)

As a young high school kid, I was a janitor cleaning up an auto repair shop on the weekends.



Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Larry Turner

Image of Larry Turner

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am a U.S. Marine Veteran, retired Lieutenant Colonel. I have led our nation’s finest through combat and humanitarian relief missions, and still serve as a peace officer in San Diego working in community relations for the people. I am a proud father and dedicated husband. For years I have listened to our local businesses, community leaders, and our most vulnerable citizens in crisis. I am not a politician, rather, I am a man of service and have excelled in operational leadership my entire career. My vision for San Diego is to focus on core city services, end the homelessness humanitarian crisis, and restore public safety and trust. I promise to deliver solutions only, not partisan politicking. I am running for Mayor of San Diego to be a voice for the citizens of San Diego, and return power back to the people."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I am a family man. My amazing wife, Cynthia, and I are raising our two wonderful children, Zac and Zoey, in our beloved San Diego. I care deeply about the future of our city. The lack of strong, ethical leadership in our city is unacceptable. The mayor should work FOR the people, not against them. I am a lifelong Independent. I don’t believe in partisan political bickering. I believe in solutions only.

The number one job of any government is ensuring public safety. We must reform police culture in San Diego: establish a relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, attract and retain the best and brightest who embody the San Diego Spirit, and hire behavioral health experts to respond to non-violent calls. We must demand accountability for repeat drug and theft offenders. We must ensure the safety of our housed and unhoused citizens alike: engage with the community on solutions; no “closed-door” plans, no more dehumanizing homeless individuals, “herding” them out-of-sight with no plan to improve their lives. End violent crime hiding amongst, and preying upon, our unsheltered population.

We must return power to the people: San Diegans are tired of the ruling elite who are above the law and above community feedback. I will not go against San Diegans’ best interests by pandering to friendly donors. Because of the culture of corruption in the Mayor's office, our core city services have been devastated. In order to restore public trust, we need an honest audit and diagnosis of the problems our city faces, so we can problem solve. I will cut the city’s overspending for the benefit of taxpayers and allocate the money where it is most needed: fixing our unsafe streets and repairing our city's broken and deadly stormwater management system.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of San Diego in 2024.

Mayoral partisanship

See also: Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2024)

Thirty-four of the 100 largest cities held mayoral elections in 2024. Once mayors elected in 2024, assumed office Democrats held 65 top-100 mayoral offices, Republicans 25, Libertarians held one, independents held two, and nonpartisan mayors held four. Three mayors' partisan affiliations were unknown.

The following top 100 cities saw a change in mayoral partisan affiliation in 2024:[1]


What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

Ballotpedia researches issues in local elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many areas. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local election. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.

Candidate survey

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Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey.
Click here to fill out the survey.

About the city

See also: San Diego, California

San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County. As of 2020, its population was 1,386,932.

City government

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of San Diego uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[3]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for San Diego, California
San Diego California
Population 1,386,932 39,538,223
Land area (sq mi) 325 155,857
Race and ethnicity**
White 62% 56.1%
Black/African American 6.1% 5.7%
Asian 17.3% 14.8%
Native American 0.5% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.4% 0.4%
Other (single race) N/A 14.3%
Multiple 7.8% 7.9%
Hispanic/Latino 30.1% 39.1%
Education
High school graduation rate 88.8% 83.9%
College graduation rate 46.7% 34.7%
Income
Median household income $83,454 $78,672
Persons below poverty level 11.8% 12.6%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

San Diego, California California Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ As of January 7, 2025, the party affiliation of one mayor elected in 2024 was unknown. Ballotpedia contacted El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson's campaign in December to inquire about his party affiliation and had not yet received a reply. As incumbent Oscar Leeser was a Democrat, this decreased the net gain for Democrats from two to one.
  2. ↑ [San Antonio Express-News, "‘I’m a Democrat’: Mayor Ron Nirenberg campaigns for Kamala Harris, embraces party label," September 14, 2024]
  3. ↑ San Diego City Charter, Art. XV 250-295, accessed October 29, 2014
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