Early election night results are showing Councilmember Karen Hardy leading by a few hundred votes.
As of 9:30 p.m. on Election Day, Hardy appears to be ahead with 23.9% of the vote, or 2,947 votes. In second place is Kathy Watanabe with 21.4% of the vote or 2,648 votes. David Kertes is in third has 18.5% of the vote. Kevin Park is in fourth has 16.9% of the vote. Armando “Gary” Ferarris is in fifth with 12.1% of the vote and Mike Wiltberger is in sixth with 6.9% of the vote.
“I’m encouraged,” Hardy told San José Spotlight after the first results came in. “I do know it’s early, and it’s a six-way race. As my husband put it, he said, ‘If you win, you’re mayor. If you lose, I get my wife back.’”
Hardy has served on the Santa Clara City Council since 2018 and was vice mayor in 2020. Before entering politics, she taught mathematics and computer science at Wilcox High School, where she helped launch the district’s computer science program and an after-school robotics program with fellow educator Suds Jain.
Hardy retired from teaching in 2025 and has held leadership roles on several regional boards, including the Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency. Her mayoral campaign focuses on housing, utility costs, infrastructure and maintaining city services.
Councilmember Suds Jain attended Hardy’s election night watch party and said she’s the best person to be mayor.
“She knows what she’s doing, and she’s generous with her time and attention,” Jain told San José Spotlight. “I think she’ll be fair as mayor. I think she’ll run the meetings effectively and efficiently. I’m excited to work with her.”
Incumbent Mayor Lisa Gillmor is terming out — and there are six candidates running to represent Santa Clara: Gary Ferraris, a former city maintenance worker and labor representative who now works for AFSCME Council 57; David Kertes, a senior director of sales for North America at Novanta; Karen Hardy, a longtime councilmember and retired Santa Clara Unified School District teacher; Kevin Park, a District 4 councilmember and former technology industry engineer; Kathy Watanabe, a former councilmember who serves on the Santa Clara Unified School District board and previously worked as a legal assistant; and Mike Wiltberger, a technology entrepreneur and medical device company founder.
Watanabe served on the Santa Clara City Council for eight years before reaching her term limit in 2024. She is now a trustee on the Santa Clara Unified School District board and spent four decades working as a legal assistant at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York before entering public office.
Watanabe has emphasized strengthening relationships between the city and school district, improving services for families and maintaining strong partnerships with major businesses. Her campaign priorities include fiscal responsibility, public safety, housing, economic development and environmental sustainability.
“I think that we’ve done everything that we can to run a good campaign, and we just need to see what happens as the votes come in,” Watanabe told San José Spotlight after initial results were announced.
Educator Maureen Madeiros, a supporter of Watanabe who has known her for more than 20 years, said she’s proud of her friend.
“She’s on the school board, so I appreciate that representation from an educator point of view,” Madeiros told San José Spotlight. “But then, as a neighbor and a friend, I’ve seen what she has done for us. When she was on city council (she was) so receptive. We would text her at all hours, and she would solve problems.”
Kertes is the senior director of sales for North America at Novanta, a technology company, and has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and leadership. He has also worked at companies including Honeywell, Danaher, Meggitt and TT Electronics.
Kertes serves on Santa Clara’s Salary Setting Commission and has emphasized his business and negotiation experience as qualifications for mayor. He wants to improve city services for children and older adults, maintain public safety and infrastructure, and encourage downtown businesses and development that benefits residents.
“I’m nervous, but I’m feeling optimistic,” Kertes told San José Spotlight.
Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at maryanne@sanjosespotlight.com or @CasasPerezRed on X.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.