Incumbents Lead Early in Irvine Races
Larry Agran, Melinda Liu, Betty Martinez Franco and Kathleen Treseder took early leads in Irvine's mayoral and council contests.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
Live Poll
Do you think Irvine's longtime city leaders should keep their seats?
Incumbents Larry Agran, Melinda Liu, Betty Martinez Franco and Kathleen Treseder took early leads in Irvine's mayoral and council races after polls closed Tuesday night. Twelve candidates are running for mayor and the District 1, 5 and 6 council seats.
Why it matters
The results will determine whether Irvine's current leadership retains its seats in races that include a challenge from a software engineer to Agran's mayoralty. Early leads are not final outcomes, and the full count will settle the contests for Irvine voters.
Twelve candidates are running in Irvine's mayoral and District 1, 5 and 6 council races, with the mayor serving two-year terms and councilmembers serving four-year terms. Early results reported after poll close do not yet include vote totals or margins, leaving final outcomes unresolved.
The players
Larry Agran
Longtime Irvine politician who has served on the city council on and off for nearly five decades and has held the mayor's seat since 2024.
Melinda Liu
Incumbent Irvine councilmember representing District 1 who took an early lead in her race.
Max Egorov
Software engineer who emigrated from Russia and is challenging Agran for Irvine mayor.
The details
Agran, who has held the mayor's seat since 2024 and has served on the council on and off for nearly five decades, is seeking reelection against Max Egorov, a software engineer who emigrated from Russia. In District 1, former mayor Sukhee Kang and John Park are challenging incumbent Melinda Liu, while Betty Martinez Franco faces four challengers in District 5 and Kathleen Treseder is challenged by Scotty Hong in District 6.
Timeline
2024: Agran began holding the mayor's seat.
November 3, 2026: Polls closed and early results were reported Tuesday night.
Political Context
Irvine's mayor serves two-year terms while its six councilmembers serve four-year terms, so the current cycle applies that staggered structure to a field in which the incumbent mayor faces a challenger. Early leads for incumbents in three council districts place the contests within the city's established pattern of long-serving local officials.
The outcome determines who represents Irvine residents on the city council and as mayor for the coming terms, affecting local decisions on the city's budget and services. Voters in Districts 1, 5 and 6 will see whichever candidates win these seats set policy for four years.
The takeaway
Local races are often decided by small margins in early counts, so readers should watch for updated official returns before drawing conclusions about Irvine's leadership.
Further reading
Follow the latest updates in the Elections section for more on Irvine's local races.
Live Poll
Do you think Irvine's longtime city leaders should keep their seats?
