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County · Statewide General Election

Tulare County Board of Supervisors, District 4

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 is one of five supervisors governing Tulare County: the budget, county health and social services, and unincorporated-area land use. A 4-year term.

Tulare County's Board of Supervisors, District 4 race heads to a November 3, 2026 runoff: incumbent Eddie Valero against challenger Ian Bakke. Neither cleared a majority in the June 2 primary, which also included Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza -- early returns had Valero at 45.71%, Bakke at 38.32%, and Mendoza, eliminated, at 15.97%.

The winner serves a 4-year term as one of five supervisors governing Tulare County: setting the county budget, overseeing county health and social-service departments, and deciding land use in the unincorporated communities across District 4, which stretches from Dinuba and Woodlake through Cutler-Orosi, Three Rivers, and part of Visalia.

The choice is a straightforward incumbent-versus-challenger runoff. Valero, first elected in 2018, is asking voters to extend a two-term record; Bakke, a business owner, is making the case that the district is ready for a change. Their June primary margin was closer than a typical incumbent renomination, with more than half the primary electorate voting for someone other than Valero.

Eddie Valero

Eddie Valero is the District 4 incumbent, first elected in 2018 and now seeking a third term. The county's own candidate filing lists his occupation as County Supervisor/Businessman. He led the June 2 primary field but fell short of a majority.

Strengths

Two terms of incumbency and a first-place primary finish, ahead of both challengers combined by a wide margin over either one individually.

Trade-offs

He did not clear a majority against two challengers, and more than half the primary electorate chose someone else.

Keep in mind

His 2026 campaign committee has been active continuously since his first 2018 race but has not filed a campaign-finance disclosure for this cycle; no independent news profile of his supervisorial record surfaced this pass beyond the primary-night coverage.

Ian Bakke

Ian Bakke is a business owner challenging the incumbent for the District 4 seat. He finished second in the June 2 primary, well ahead of the third-place finisher, advancing to a direct November matchup with Valero.

Strengths

A clear second-place primary finish that puts him in a direct one-on-one matchup with the incumbent, with no vote-splitting from a third candidate in November.

Trade-offs

As a first-time county candidate he has no prior public-office record to weigh against Valero's two terms.

Keep in mind

His 2026 campaign committee is active but has not filed a campaign-finance disclosure for this cycle; no independent news profile of his campaign or platform surfaced this pass beyond the primary-night coverage.

Source review: Very strong (93/100) · 4 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • tc-web.widen.net (opens in a new tab)Tulare County Elections -- official "Contest/Candidate Proof List" (report CFMR001) for the November 3, 2026 General Election: within its county-office section, only two contests appear -- Supervisor District 4 (Ian Bakke, Eddie Valero incumbent, flagged as going into extension/runoff) and Board of Education Trustee Area 1 (Juan Arzola, Sandra R. Burnitzki; Felipe Martinez listed only as the appointed incumbent, not a candidate) -- no Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor, Auditor, Treasurer, Clerk-Recorder, Superior Court, or Public Defender contest appears anywhere in the 63-page document
  • yahoo.com (opens in a new tab)Visalia Times-Delta (Sheyanne N Romero and Steve Pastis) -- "Tulare County voters weigh options in Board of Supervisors District 4 race" (June 2, 2026, syndicated via Yahoo News): reports early June 2 primary returns for the three-way race -- incumbent Eddie Valero 45.71%, Ian Bakke 38.32%, Woodlake Mayor Rudy Mendoza 15.97% -- no majority, so Valero and Bakke advance to a November runoff; names Valero's own reaction quote and the district's constituent cities and communities
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- "VALERO FOR TULARE COUNTY SUPERVISOR 2026; EDDIE" (Filer #1399840), status ACTIVE, continuously registered since his first 2018 campaign; no Form 460/461/450 electronically filed for the 2025-2026 cycle as of this retrieval
  • cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- "BAKKE FOR SUPERVISOR 2026" (Filer #1478626), status ACTIVE; no Form 460/461/450 electronically filed for the 2025-2026 cycle as of this retrieval

Last updated August 31, 2026.