Nguyen Leads Race for LBCC Trustee Area 5
Henry Nguyen holds an early lead over Susana Gonzalez Edmond as outstanding ballots are yet to be counted in the Trustee Area 5 race.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Henry Nguyen led Susana Gonzalez Edmond 54% to 46% in initial results released Tuesday night by the Los Angeles County registrar's office for the Long Beach Community College District Trustee Area 5 seat. The seat is open because incumbent Trustee Virginia Baxter decided not to run for reelection.
Why it matters
The Area 5 seat covers East Long Beach and Lakewood, so the result will determine who represents those communities on the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees. The initial tally includes only vote-by-mail ballots that arrived before Election Day, and the outcome may shift once remaining ballots are counted.
The 54% to 46% split reflects only the first round of results, which comprised vote-by-mail ballots that arrived before Election Day. Ballots postmarked by Election Day but not yet received, along with conditional ballots, remain uncounted.
The players
Henry Nguyen
Nguyen spent 10 years in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of staff sergeant, and later oversaw 28 campus sites and 113 employees at LAUSD.
Susana Gonzalez Edmond
Gonzalez Edmond is the other candidate in the Area 5 race, trailing in the initial results.
Virginia Baxter
Baxter is a longtime Long Beach Community College District trustee who was first elected in April 2014 and chose not to seek reelection.
The details
Two candidates ran for the Area 5 seat, with initial results released around 8:31 p.m. Tuesday. The first update included vote-by-mail ballots received before Election Day, and later updates will include ballots arriving on Election Day and all ballots cast at Voter Centers.
Timeline
April 2014: Virginia Baxter first elected to the board, where she has served more than a decade.
November 3, 2026: Trustee Area 5 election held, with initial results released around 8:31 p.m.
Coming days: Outstanding ballots to be tallied.
Season Trajectory
Initial county counts are typically released in stages, with vote-by-mail ballots reported first and later-arriving and conditional ballots added in subsequent updates. Area 5 is an open seat, so the final margin will determine the board's composition after Baxter's departure.
Residents of East Long Beach and Lakewood will have a new or continuing trustee depending on the final count. Voters should check the county registrar's updated results as later ballots are tallied.
The takeaway
Early results can shift as ballots are counted, so the 54% to 46% margin is not final. Readers should watch for updated county tallies before drawing conclusions about the Area 5 race.
What happens next
Outstanding ballots will be tallied in the coming days, and the Area 5 margin may change as those results are added.
Further reading
For more on local voting, browse Elections coverage across the region.
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