Richmond Mayor Martinez Loses 2026 Reelection Endorsement Over Antisemitic Posts

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 4

Richmond’s progressive power broker, the Richmond Progressive Alliance, backed Councilmember Claudia Jimenez instead of Mayor Eduardo Martinez ahead of the June 2026 primary, leaving the incumbent without the coalition’s reelection endorsement.
The break followed backlash over Martinez’s social media activity, including reposts after the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack that called it an Israeli “false flag” and claimed Israel’s conduct was the “root cause” of antisemitism.
Jewish leaders in the Bay Area said those posts capped a longer pattern that included Richmond’s October 2023 Gaza ceasefire resolution and Martinez’s 2025 remarks at a Palestine conference, where he said “that part of me ... would be Hamas.”
Martinez later apologized on Facebook, saying he had not fully read the material and regretted spreading inaccurate, conspiratorial and anti-Jewish content, but critics said the apology did not squarely address amplifying antisemitic rhetoric.
The dispute has turned Richmond into a broader test for progressive politics, highlighting how local Democratic socialist-aligned officials handle Israel-related activism as Jewish groups debate when criticism of Israel becomes antisemitism.