The 2026 elections are just around the corner in Santa Clara, and everyone is wondering who will run for various open seats. In 2026, there will be no incumbents defending. No automatic advantages. A rare reset moment.

Many will say this is the year Mayor Lisa Gillmor finally terms out and the reign ends. However, don’t hold your breath.

Politicians with long-established power bases don’t simply disappear — they reposition. If Santa Clara politics has proven anything, it’s this: power rarely leaves quietly.

Is 2026 truly a political reset? Or is it simply a reshuffling of the same power structure under new titles? Because in local politics, term limits end positions. They don’t necessarily end in influence.

Alliances are being evaluated. Potential candidates are measuring risk. And one question keeps surfacing: does terming out as Mayor really mean the end of Gillmor’s influence — or just a strategic pivot?

Whether through allies on the Council or by seeking another seat herself, Gillmor is unlikely to fade quietly. More likely, she will attempt to maintain her generational influence in Santa Clara politics one way or another.

And that brings us to District 6. While not term-limited in 2026, District 6 could become the most strategically important seat on the board. If a vacancy were to emerge — through resignation or another unexpected development — it would provide a clear pathway for Gillmor to return directly to the City Council. For a termed-out mayor with decades of fundraising networks, name recognition, and institutional knowledge, District 6 would represent more than a council seat. It would be a re-entry point. In Santa Clara politics, openings do not happen in a vacuum — and seasoned players know how to capitalize on timing.

There are already numerous names being floated citywide. Some candidates have surprisingly announced early, while others are circling the idea and quietly laying groundwork. Many potential anti-Gillmor candidates remain hesitant, wary of what critics describe as the “Gillmor Machine” — a political network built over decades that can mobilize donors, messaging, endorsements, and opposition research quickly and aggressively. Whether exaggerated or not, the perception alone has an effect: it freezes the field.

Candidates will officially file nomination papers in August, though election season effectively begins in May. In reality, campaign groundwork is already underway behind the scenes — donor meetings, quiet endorsements, exploratory conversations.

Notably, no incumbents are eligible to seek re-election for the seats up in 2026. The Mayor’s seat, held by Gillmor since her 2016 appointment following the resignation of former Mayor Jamie Matthews, will finally be vacant. She won election in 2018 and was narrowly re-elected in 2022. In District 2, Councilmember Raj Chahal terms out. In District 3, Councilmember Kevin Hardy also terms out. Both were elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Three open seats. No incumbents. A political vacuum.

Now the real question becomes: who steps in — and who’s already been preparing? And perhaps more importantly: is Santa Clara about to witness a reset — or a return?

Roger Kint