San Clemente Preliminary Mayor Results: Cabral Leads Ward and Hirschman in Early Count

Election-night update: preliminary results

Official source snapshot: November 3, 2026, 8:07:13 p.m. Pacific. Victor Cabral led the reported tally at that update. The count is incomplete and this article does not declare a winner.

Unofficial results — san clemente
Candidate	Votes	Share of reported candidate votes
Victor Cabral	8,759	53.92%
Kathy Ward	4,034	24.84%
Shane Hirschman	3,450	21.24%

These figures are from the registrar’s election-night dashboard, reached through its official results page. They are an early snapshot, not a certified result or a measure of how much of the final vote has been counted.

Percentages describe reported votes in this contest, not the percentage of all eligible voters or all expected ballots. Additional ballots and verification can change totals and margins. Read the official Orange County results and check later updates.

The campaign reporting below provides pre-election context. Personal voting appearances remain subject to the verification limits stated in that reporting.

SAN CLEMENTE, Orange County — Shane Hirschman, Kathy Ward and Victor Cabral are the three mayoral candidates listed by the city clerk for November 3, 2026. The mayor is elected citywide for a two-year term; the District 1 and District 2 council seats are separate four-year contests.

About the cover video: Interviews with the three candidates are featured on Hirschman’s campaign website in a post dated November 2. The page credits production to Beach House Studios in San Clemente and identifies Jeff Moore and Brian de la Puente as the interviewers. This is discussion of campaign issues, not footage of candidates voting. View the original campaign-hosted page.

Shane Hirschman: arts, collaboration and the coast

On his campaign website, Hirschman emphasizes approachable government, public participation and cooperation. He identifies himself as an art director and Arts and Culture Committee member, linking community events to local businesses.

He also highlights coastal protection as San Clemente approaches its 2028 centennial and Olympic surfing at Trestles. Those themes frame his argument for creative approaches to the city’s future.

Kathy Ward: village character and city maintenance

Ward’s campaign website emphasizes fiscal judgment, the General Plan and preservation of San Clemente’s historic beach-town character. She cites two council terms and previous service as mayor.

Her proposals include more public participation in decisions, downtown maintenance and repairs along Del Mar. She also opposes landfill expansion. Her assertions about other officials’ conduct are campaign criticism, not independent findings of this report.

Victor Cabral: safety, sand retention and financial oversight

Cabral’s campaign platform prioritizes public safety, fire prevention, coastal preservation and fiscal accountability. He proposes removing permit delays for small businesses and pursuing coastal sand-retention measures.

He also calls for a regional approach to chronic homelessness with treatment services and opposes expansion of the Prima Deshecha Landfill. These are his stated policy positions, not completed outcomes established by this article.

Personal voting remains unconfirmed

The reviewed sources do not independently establish when, where or by what method any of the three candidates cast a ballot. The interviews and campaign messages should not be described as personal voting appearances. This article does not report a winner or treat preliminary returns as certified results.

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