Paulding widens lead over Verdin in District 4 SLO County supervisor race
Jimmy Paulding widened his lead in the race for District 4 San Luis Obispo County supervisor after the latest release of primary election vote totals Thursday afternoon.
As of 3:54 p.m., with 10,334 ballots counted, Paulding led the race with 54% of the vote over Adam Verdin, who was trailing with 46% of the vote.
The race is between Democrat Paulding, the one-term incumbent who is trying to keep his spot on the board, and Republican Verdin, a political newcomer and longtime local business owner, who is aiming to replace him as the District 4 supervisor.
Paulding initially surged ahead with 505 more votes than Verdin after the first report at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. After all poll ballots were counted early Wednesday morning, the race had narrowed slightly, with Paulding leading by 386 votes.
On Thursday afternoon, the two candidates were separated by 818 votes, with Paulding’s lead growing by 431 votes since the last results were dropped.
“(I’m) feeling very optimistic,” Paulding told The Tribune on Thursday. “It looks like good numbers.”
Verdin said it’s still “very early,” and things could still change to his advantage with many more ballots to count, he told The Tribune Thursday.
The candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins the seat.
During a primary night party at his restaurant, Old Juan’s Cantina in Oceano, Verdin said he would be laser-focused on problem-solving community needs, like getting Oceano’s fire station back and fixing traffic issues in Nipomo, if elected District 4 supervisor.
Paulding — who was at his own watch party at the Heritage House in Arroyo Grande Tuesday night — said he would continue to prioritize public safety, homelessness, mental health and water security initiatives if re-elected. That would look like creating more safe routes to school in Oceano and Nipomo and studying different sites for a possible future desalinization project, he told The Tribune.
After Thursday, the SLO County elections office will continue to report results at least twice a week, with the next release posted by 6 p.m. Monday, Erin Clausen, the public information officer for the county Clerk-Recorder’s office, told The Tribune.
According to a new state law, counties are required to have the bulk of all tabulation done by June 15, though provisional ballots and those needing signature cures will continue to be counted past that date, Clausen said.
The deadline for county elections officials to certify election results is July 2.
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:34 PM.
