A well-funded challenger falls short as party endorsements and a contentious ballot dispute shape the open-seat primary for a pivotal supervisorial seat.
Connor Traut
- Mayor, City of Buena Park
- Democratic endorsement
- Raised ~$225,000 in 2025
Tim Shaw
- OC Board of Education Trustee
- Republican endorsement
- Lower fundraising; NAR independent spending $125k+
Fred Jung
- Mayor, City of Fullerton
- No Party Preference
- Raised $350,000+ in 2025
Rose Espinoza
- Mayor, City of La Habra
- No Party Preference
- Self funded $150,000
Early election returns in the race for Orange County’s 4th Supervisorial District indicate that Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut and Orange County Board of Education Trustee Tim Shaw are positioned to advance to the November general election under California’s top-two primary system — a result that surprised many observers, given the fundraising advantage held by a rival candidate.
The open-seat contest was triggered by the impending departure of Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who is term-limited. The district encompasses Fullerton, Buena Park, La Habra, Brea, Placentia, Stanton, and portions of Anaheim. Four candidates qualified for the June 2 primary: Traut, Shaw, Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, and La Habra Mayor Rose Espinoza.
Money didn’t buy a top-two finish
Among the most notable developments in the early returns was the performance of Jung, whose campaign reported raising more than $350,000 during 2025 — one of the strongest fundraising totals in the race. That figure included nearly $200,000 transferred from a previous Fullerton City Council campaign account, with filings showing the campaign maintaining a substantial cash balance entering the final weeks before Election Day.
By comparison, Traut reported raising approximately $225,000 over the same period, while Shaw reported significantly lower totals. However, the National Association of Realtors spent more than $125,000 on independent advertising in support of his campaign. Despite the financial gap among the candidates themselves, both Traut and Shaw appeared to hold early leads, underscoring the limits of campaign spending in a race where institutional endorsements and outside spending carried considerable weight…