Candidates Virginia Chang Kiraly and Steven Booker are in third and fourth, respectively.
As of noon on Wednesday, Mueller received 5,341 votes, or 35.8% of the vote, followed by Parmer-Lohan at 4,555 (30.5%). Chang Kiraly trails at 2,238 votes (18.6%), followed by Booker at 2,048 votes (15%).
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has five seats and oversees the operations and budget of San Mateo County. District 3 covers the coastline from Pacifica to Santa Cruz County and inland to Menlo Park. The district encompasses seven cities and 20 unincorporated areas, serving over 150,000 residents.
Mueller is a council member in Menlo Park who served a term as mayor. He also served as chief of staff for Santa Clara County District 5 Supervisor Joe Simitian. One of Mueller's priorities is on coastside infrastructure, hoping to create a supervisor's office on the coast so residents can raise their concerns locally.
Mueller said he also hopes to develop housing for farmworkers on the coast to sustain the communities amid labor shortages. His other priorities include COVID-19 response and environmental protections.
"I'm just incredibly grateful to the voters and incredibly grateful to our supporters," Mueller said. "I'm really excited about the prospect of moving onto the next phase of the general (election) if these results hold and continuing to bring our message to voters."
Parmer-Lohan has served on San Carlos' City Council and single-family housing advisory committee, including a term as mayor. She has made environmental protection policy the cornerstone of her campaign, creating plans to encourage residents to utilize recycled water in irrigation, farming and landscaping. She has also pushed developers to use recycled water for commercial development. Her campaign has had a focus on affordable housing as a climate issue, making it another cornerstone.
"I'm really excited about how the vote is trending," Parmer-Lohan said as election results rolled in. "The results show voters want someone who is willing to address the devastating impacts of climate change."
Chang Kiraly served as a board member of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District and has a background in finance, having served seven years on the California Commission for Economic Development. She has served as the San Mateo County Harbor District's board president, and her campaign focused heavily on public safety, including fire and coastal safety.
Chang Kiraly does not believe the race is decided yet with so many votes still left to count.
"Obviously I'm disappointed in where my placement is right now," Chang Kiraly said. "I don't think the election's over ... I'm very proud of the campaign we ran, it was very clean, we had a lot of grassroots support, so I'm very proud of that."
Booker, a worker's rights advocate, has served as political director and community affairs liaison for a local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) labor union. During the campaign he said he wanted to create infrastructure on the coast and help fill a gap he sees in digital access in District 3. He also hoped to bridge a division he sees between residents and law enforcement.
Booker did not respond to requests for comment.
