Gloria, who previously served on the City Council and in the state Assembly, was leading political newcomer Larry Turner, a Marine veteran and police officer, by 55.7% to 44.3% with nearly 856,000 ballots counted After polling 50.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has a comfortable lead in his reelection campaign against independent police officer Larry Turner, based on the first batch of results. Why it matters: The race became a referendum on public concerns with housing costs,

Gloria, a Democrat, will face off with nominally independent Turner for the nonpartisan office. However, the SDPD officer has received financial support from Republicans in the past six months.

As San Diego voters head to the polls Tuesday, they will have a choice to keep Mayor Todd Gloria in the city's top spot or back San Diego police officer Larry Turner for a change of pace.