Sonja Shaw concedes California superintendent race, says God ‘isn’t finished’

Richard Barrera has won California’s race for state superintendent of public instruction, defeating Sonja Shaw, who conceded on Thursday. The result puts Barrera in a role whose authority is set to shrink under a new law, changing how the state’s education department is run from 2027.

Barrera received 4,014,765 votes, or 57.6%, against Shaw’s 2,959,230, or 42.4%, with all precincts reporting. The law will let the next governor appoint an education commissioner to run the department; the elected superintendent will take on board roles instead. Shaw says she plans to challenge the change in court, while Barrera has proposed involving local educators and parents in drafting an education budget.