Only 140 votes separate Amezcua and Shimell in the Santa Ana mayor race

Santa Ana's mayor race is down to a coin flip. As of Friday's 5 p.m. update from the Orange County Registrar of Voters, Mayor Valerie Amezcua had 22,102 votes to attorney Dan Shimell's 21,962, a gap of just 140 votes.

That works out to about 43.4% for Amezcua and 43.15% for Shimell, according to Voice of OC. The race is still too close to call.

How the lead disappeared

Amezcua led by roughly 13 percentage points on election night, Voice of OC reported. Shimell told the outlet her lead of about 4,000 votes had shrunk to a little over 900 by Thursday evening.

Friday's update cut it to 140.

Third candidate Dwayne Shipp, a city commissioner, had about 13% of the vote and conceded in an Instagram post on Wednesday. Critics say he split the vote in the mayoral race, which he disputes, according to Voice of OC.

Who's running

Amezcua is the first woman elected Santa Ana mayor. She won reelection in 2024 with nearly 60% of the vote, beating Councilman Ben Vazquez by about 15,000 votes. She previously served on the Santa Ana Unified school board and worked as a supervising probation officer for the Orange County Probation Department.

She is endorsed by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, which spent nearly $270,000 this year on mailers and ads supporting her and other candidates, Voice of OC reported.

Shimell is a commercial litigation attorney who told LAist the ICE raids were a pivotal moment in his decision to run. He is endorsed by the Santa Ana Educators Association and Vazquez, according to LAist, and by the immigrant rights group Chispa, according to Voice of OC.

Amezcua has taken digs at Shimell for living in the city only a short time. Shimell called that nativist language meant to divide residents. He also told Voice of OC that Santa Ana has never voted out an incumbent mayor since the position became directly elected. Amezcua declined to comment when reached by the outlet.

Why it matters

The city's response to immigration enforcement has dominated the race. Amezcua faced calls to resign after the June 2025 ICE protests, when police fired bean bags and rubber bullets and used tear gas on demonstrators. She called the protests "pure violence."

The mayor's race is also playing out next to a possible council shake-up. Progressive-backed candidates Ben Vazquez, Sandra De Anda and Isuri Ramos are leading their ward races and are on track to flip the police union-aligned council majority, Voice of OC reported. If Amezcua holds on, she could face a council critical of her.

Voters also appear to be approving Measure N, which would keep the city's 1.5% sales tax increase in place indefinitely instead of letting it wind down and end in 2039. It had about 67% support as of Thursday.

What’s next

The Orange County Registrar of Voters posts updated results at 5 p.m. each weekday during the canvass until results are certified. Its estimate of ballots left to process will grow as eligible mail ballots postmarked by Election Day arrive.