Sonja
Shaw

Shaw finished first in the California superintendent of public instruction primary with 22.6% of the vote; Barrera received 20.3%. Eight other candidates were eliminated, setting up a two-person general election.

Shaw and Barrera are the two candidates on the November 3 general-election ballot for California superintendent of public instruction. No public general-election poll was found in available sources.

A New York Post opinion piece published October 8 praised Shaw's debate performance, writing that she passed the debate 'test' while her opponent 'wants to keep SAT out.'

KALW reported that the California Republican Party endorsed Shaw while the California Democratic Party endorsed Barrera in the nonpartisan superintendent race.

The Mercury News editorial board endorsed Richard Barrera over Sonja Shaw for California superintendent of public instruction, describing Barrera's approach as a more practical path forward.

At an EdSource virtual debate, Shaw said 'I do not promote failure. Right now, California is failing,' and cited a letter signed by 3,000 UC faculty raising concerns about students' college-level math preparation. She clashed with Barrera over college prep, community schools, and LGBTQ+ students. Barrera accused her of waging 'the culture wars'; Shaw objected to repeated references to Trump, saying the race should be judged on academic outcomes.

At the October 7 debate, Shaw called for reinstating standardized testing, arguing that grades alone are not a reliable measure of preparation. The candidates disputed responsibility for students' college readiness and the role of testing in admissions.

The Orange County Register reported that both superintendent candidates called Gov. Gavin Newsom's delay of Proposition 98 education revenue illegal. The report does not include a separate detailed explanation from Shaw.

In a candidate questionnaire published by the Orange County Register, Shaw said she supports returning to standardized testing, stating 'Grades alone have been inflated and given unevenly.' KCRA summarized her priorities as enforcing Title IX, protecting girls in sports and locker rooms, involving parents in decisions, and focusing on reading, writing and math.

The Orange County Register reported that ballots for the November 3 general election were scheduled to begin mailing on October 5, advancing the Shaw-Barrera race toward voters.

The Los Angeles Times reported Shaw raised $399,000 during the primary and at least $187,000 since. Barrera raised $274,000 in the primary and $481,000 since. The California Teachers Association spent more than $5 million in the primary on Barrera's behalf.

As of September 15, outside groups had spent more than $5 million supporting Barrera and only $10,000 supporting Shaw, according to a spending report published October 1.

The Los Angeles Times published a piece framing the superintendent race as a clash between union power (Barrera) and MAGA politics (Shaw).