Eduardo Martinez, mayor of Richmond, Calif., who apologized last year for sharing antisemitic posts on LinkedIn about a deadly attack on a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, appears headed for defeat in his re-election bid, according to preliminary election results.
Contra Costa County results released on June 5 show Martinez in third place with 3,950 votes (19.5%). Claudia Jimenez, a member of the Richmond City Council, leads the race with 6,915 votes (37.55%), followed by Ahmad Anderson, former chair of the Richmond Economic Development Commission, with 5,306 votes (28.82%).
The top two finishers will advance to the November general election. The county’s next vote update is expected on Wednesday afternoon.
Martinez came under fire in December after reposting LinkedIn content that described the Bondi Beach attack on a Chanukah event as an “Israel false flag attack” and asked if the shooter was a former Israeli soldier. Australian authorities have said the assault, which killed 15 people, was carried out by individuals linked to the Islamic State group.
Following backlash, Martinez apologized for sharing the posts and later faced multiple failed censure efforts in the Richmond City Council. In January, the council instead approved a 6–1 measure committing him to voluntary antisemitism training.
Jewish communal organizations criticized Martinez’s response. The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area stated that he “refused to take responsibility” for his social media activity, while calling the election results “a victory for everyone who stood with the Jewish community in confronting antisemitism and demanding accountability.”
A spokesman for JCRC Bay Area told JNS that “the election results and public statements from the leading candidates strongly indicate that Mayor Martinez is unlikely to advance to the general election.”
Tali Klima, a spokeswoman for Bay Area Jewish Coalition-Action, told JNS that the organization “strongly” opposed Martinez’s re-election bid.
“He is a flagrant antisemite who used his platform to push hatred and misinformation against our community,” Klima said. “As of the latest count, Martinez will not make it past the primary, and we are not sad to see him go.”
Itamar Landau, one of the founders of the Jewish Coalition of Berkeley, told JNS that the coalition and “our many Richmond-resident members are relieved that Mayor Martinez’s repeated anti-Jewish bigotry has finally been met by the voters of Richmond with the clear rejection it deserves.”
“Richmond deserves leadership willing to unequivocally condemn hatred at home and to prioritize the city’s real local challenges over divisive, performative foreign-policy gestures,” Landau said. “As this election moves toward November, we will be watching closely, and we will continue to speak clearly whenever any leader, of any party, fails to meet that basic standard.”
Anderson was among the signatories of a December letter calling on Martinez to “take immediate, concrete steps to repair the harm and restore trust” and that if he’s “unwilling or unable to take these steps, he should step down from his role as mayor.”
Jimenez, who has been endorsed by Richmond for Palestine, opposed a council amendment that would have formally censured Martinez, saying at the time that his reposts were “careless” and “caused real harm,” while noting he was “trying to apologize.”
The spokesperson for JCRC told JNS that while the organization does not endorse or oppose candidates, it has previously raised concerns about Jimenez’s votes on Israel-related resolutions, including support for boycott, divestment and sanctions measures and her vote against censuring Martinez.
“JCRC believes that divisive foreign affairs issues have no place in local government and hopes that both candidates, if elected, will focus on local matters,” the spokesman said.
