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City of Carlsbad · Statewide General Election

Mayor of Carlsbad

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person presides over City Council meetings and represents Carlsbad publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances -- day-to-day city government runs through an appointed city manager. Carlsbad's mayor is the only member of the council elected citywide rather than by district. A 4-year term.

Four candidates are running for Carlsbad Mayor: incumbent Keith Blackburn faces three challengers -- Eric Nixon, Bill Arsenault, and Stephen Banister. Whichever candidate gets the most votes on November 3 wins outright; there's no runoff.

Carlsbad's mayor presides over City Council meetings and represents the city publicly, but votes as one of five members on the budget and city ordinances -- the same as any other councilmember. Day-to-day city government runs through an appointed city manager, not the mayor's office. It's the only council seat elected citywide rather than by district. A 4-year term.

The choice is mostly about continuity versus a fresh start: Blackburn is campaigning on 18 years of prior council service plus a first mayoral term built around infrastructure projects already underway -- traffic-signal upgrades, the desalination plant, and Agua Hedionda Lagoon stewardship. All three challengers are first-time candidates for citywide office; Nixon has articulated the most detailed platform of the three, built around public safety and community partnerships. Arsenault and Banister have not published a detailed platform reachable in this pass -- their campaigns are represented here mainly by their stated occupations.

Keith Blackburn

The incumbent, first elected to the City Council in 2008 and to the mayor's office in 2022; his official biography lists five prior terms as Mayor Pro Tem. A 29-year sworn police officer (21 of them with the Carlsbad Police Department) before retiring, he also worked in real estate and development, including the Carlsbad Premium Outlets project. He points to the desalination plant and Agua Hedionda Lagoon stewardship as evidence of progress and says he wants to continue Village revitalization, preserve open space, and use his business background to keep the city's finances strong.

Strengths

18 years on the council before becoming mayor gives him more institutional experience with Carlsbad's budget and land-use decisions than any other candidate on this ballot.

Trade-offs

A long incumbency means his record is the fullest one on this ballot, for better or worse -- voters weighing continuity are also weighing whatever they'd change about the status quo.

Keep in mind

His campaign is the only one in this race with an ACTIVE Cal-Access committee as of this retrieval -- see Financial info.

Eric Nixon

An emergency medical technician and public-safety educator with about 15 years across public health and safety campaigns in San Diego County. A first-time candidate for elected office, he says he wants to prioritize listening to the community and building partnerships, naming quality of life, public safety, and smart growth as his priorities. "I'm not a career politician," he told The Coast News. "I am someone who's been in the community, solving real problems."

Strengths

A specific, front-line public-safety background distinct from Blackburn's law-enforcement career -- EMT and community health work rather than policing.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed government experience to point to.

Keep in mind

No Cal-Access committee was found under his name as of this retrieval -- see Financial info.

Bill Arsenault

A retired businessman; The Coast News' Aug. 24, 2026 roundup describes him as a former U.S. Marine and international business owner. No campaign website, detailed platform, or news interview was found for him in this pass beyond that background.

Strengths

A business and military background distinct from the other three candidates' public-safety and government résumés.

Trade-offs

No stated platform was reachable in this pass -- an honest gap, not a claim he lacks one.

Keep in mind

No Cal-Access committee was found under his name as of this retrieval -- see Financial info.

Stephen Banister

An energy program supervisor, per both the county's own candidate list and The Coast News' roundup. No campaign website, detailed platform, or news interview was found for him in this pass beyond that occupation.

Strengths

A technical, energy-sector career background distinct from the other three candidates.

Trade-offs

No stated platform was reachable in this pass -- an honest gap, not a claim he lacks one.

Keep in mind

No Cal-Access committee was found under his name as of this retrieval -- see Financial info.

Source review: Very strong (90/100) · 8 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Registrar of Voters -- Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (current through the 8/24/2026 2:44pm snapshot): confirms Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 3, City Clerk, and City Treasurer as Carlsbad's five November 2026 races, and Mayor plus City Council Districts 1 and 3 as Poway's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1
  • carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- City Council page: an elected mayor plus four district-elected council members, each a 4-year term; names Mayor Keith Blackburn, Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel (District 3), and Council Member Melanie Burkholder (District 1); confirms the Mayor is elected citywide and Council members by district, and that the City Clerk and City Treasurer are also separately elected
  • carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- Clerk Services / Election Information page: names City Clerk Sherry Freisinger and states the City Clerk serves an elected 4-year term
  • thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group -- "Election 2026: A guide to North County races" (Carlsbad City Council section): names all nine qualified candidates across Mayor, Districts 1 and 3, Treasurer, and confirms City Clerk Sherry Freisinger is running unopposed, current as of the Aug. 7, 2026 filing deadline
  • sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (Phil Diehl) -- "Carlsbad's mayor, 2 council seats, treasurer and clerk on the ballot in November": independently confirms five incumbents on the ballot against a small field of challengers and reports Blackburn's re-election campaign raised $42,673; the full article is paywalled beyond its opening paragraphs as retrieved
  • carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- Mayor Keith Blackburn (official biography): current term 2022-2026; prior City Council member 2008-2020 with five terms as Mayor Pro Tem; a 29-year sworn police officer (21 with Carlsbad PD) and Managing Partner of a real-estate partnership
  • thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group -- "Election 2026: Carlsbad City Council" (Cameron Adams): an earlier, pre-deadline preview naming candidate backgrounds and platform quotes in their own words for Blackburn, Nixon, Burkholder, Kerwin, Bhat-Patel, Freisinger, and Peacox; its early field (three Mayor candidates including one going by "Skar," and Jennifer Kerwin for District 1) was superseded by the certified post-deadline roster, used here only for the candidates who also appear on that later list
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search: an ACTIVE "Blackburn for Mayor 2026" committee; no committee found under Eric Nixon, Bill Arsenault, or Stephen Banister

Last updated August 31, 2026.