San Diego’s District 4 primary has turned into a political cliffhanger, with incumbent Henry Foster III clinging to a lead so thin it would make a poll worker sweat. County unofficials show Foster ahead of challenger Martha Abraham by just 22 votes, leaving both candidates essentially neck and neck while Johnny Lee Dang trails behind. Unless late-counted ballots or legal maneuvers shake things up, Foster and Abraham are on track for a November runoff.
According to the Registrar’s live tally, Foster sits at 9,047 votes (40.76 percent) and Abraham is right behind at 9,025 (40.66 percent), while Dang has pulled in 4,126 (18.59 percent). Those numbers come from the county’s online results portal, per the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.
Counting, canvass and the timeline
The scoreboard is still very much in play. Under county and state rules, mail ballots, provisional ballots and signature-cured envelopes are all processed during the post-Election Day canvass, which means the totals can inch up or down before anything is final. Counties must submit their official certified results to the state by July 3, 2026, and the California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify those results on July 10, 2026, according to the California Secretary of State. Until that certification lands, every local contest, including District 4, remains unofficial.
What’s at stake in District 4
District 4 stretches across southeastern neighborhoods including Paradise Hills, Encanto, Lincoln Park, Skyline, Oak Park, Valencia Park and Webster. Local coverage describes the area as predominantly Latino and African American, with sizable Filipino and other Asian communities. In many pockets, average household income runs in the roughly $55,000 to $70,000 range, and voters have been zeroed in on quality-of-life concerns like housing and public safety, according to Times of San Diego. Put together, you get a dense district where economic pressure is real and a few dozen votes can decide who carries those worries into City Hall.
Who the candidates are
Foster, a third-generation District 4 resident who first won the seat in a 2024 special election, has campaigned on his record in office and his familiarity with City Hall’s machinery. Abraham, a neonatal ICU nurse, has run on a message of neighborhood investment, housing and community representation. Dang has pitched himself as an independent alternative with a focus on basic local services. Foster’s earlier victory and the candidates’ backgrounds have been laid out in prior coverage by KPBS and in the campaigns’ own public materials.
Recounts and legal options
With a margin this tight, the rulebook matters as much as the rhetoric. California law allows any registered voter to request a recount once the county has wrapped its official canvass. The request has to be in writing, and counties are required to start recounts within a set window, according to the California Secretary of State. A recount can be limited to specific precincts named in the request, must be conducted in public and comes with detailed procedures for challenges and reporting under state regulations. If a campaign or individual voter pulls that trigger, the county elections office will spell out the schedule and ground rules.
For now, with the canvass ongoing and state certification weeks away, District 4 is stuck in suspense. Residents and neighborhood groups have been clear that the outcome will shape day-to-day realities on housing, services and safety, which makes every uncounted ballot and any potential recount more than just procedural fine print for this corner of San Diego.
