Garden Grove Preliminary Mayor Results: Klopfenstein Leads Thu-Ha Nguyen in Early Count

Election-night update: preliminary results

Official source snapshot: November 3, 2026, 8:07:13 p.m. Pacific. Stephanie Klopfenstein led the reported tally at that update. The count is incomplete and this article does not declare a winner.

Unofficial results — garden grove
Candidate	Votes	Share of reported candidate votes
Stephanie Klopfenstein	14,118	53.75%
Thu-Ha Nguyen	12,147	46.25%

These figures are from the registrar’s election-night dashboard, reached through its official results page. They are an early snapshot, not a certified result or a measure of how much of the final vote has been counted.

Percentages describe reported votes in this contest, not the percentage of all eligible voters or all expected ballots. Additional ballots and verification can change totals and margins. Read the official Orange County results and check later updates.

The campaign reporting below provides pre-election context. Personal voting appearances remain subject to the verification limits stated in that reporting.

GARDEN GROVE, Orange County — Incumbent Stephanie Klopfenstein and challenger Thu-Ha Nguyen are the two qualified candidates for mayor in the November 3, 2026, municipal election, according to the city’s official candidate list. That document identifies Klopfenstein as Garden Grove mayor and Nguyen as a cancer scientist and teacher.

The mayoral contest is citywide. Separate council elections cover Districts 1, 3 and 4; those district contests should not be confused with the mayoral ballot.

Stephanie Klopfenstein: continuing major city projects

On her 2026 campaign website, Klopfenstein asks voters to continue her administration’s work on public safety, financial management and neighborhood quality of life. She points to parks, the police facility, infrastructure and the city’s five-year homelessness strategy as reasons to keep current leadership.

Those are the incumbent’s descriptions of her record and priorities. Her campaign connects another term to completing projects already underway and maintaining accountability at City Hall.

Thu-Ha Nguyen: mental health and public services

Nguyen’s campaign website emphasizes public safety, homelessness, local businesses and jobs. Her approach to homelessness explicitly includes mental health, while her broader platform calls for reliable city services.

She presents six years of council service as preparation for the mayor’s office. Her campaign biography and policy proposals provide a basis for comparing her candidacy with Klopfenstein’s, but do not establish an Election Day voting appearance.

What is verified about personal voting?

The sources reviewed for this report do not establish when or where either candidate personally cast a ballot. Campaign priorities and requests for support do not confirm a voting appearance. No polling location, voting photograph or personal-voting quotation is being attributed to either candidate.

This comparison reports documented campaign positions, not an endorsement or a prediction. Official election information is available from the Garden Grove city clerk; election-night returns remain unofficial until the canvass and certification.

YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOU

Help this community newspaper grow

Your support helps build coverage for the people and places this local newspaper serves.

Donate once by card ↗

Help Garden Grove News grow Help strengthen reporting on Garden Grove: community voices, important decisions and local life.

Support Garden Grove News

Choose how to support Garden Grove News:

Credit / Debit Card via Stripe

Choose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.

Continue with PayPal Continue with Zelle

Zelle payments go to Vitaly Ataev Troshin. Please verify the recipient in your bank before sending. Availability depends on your bank.

Optional reader support. When possible, add “Garden Grove News” to the payment note. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.

Optional support through the publisher. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible and never buy editorial influence.

Garden Grove News — Your Community Newspaper

Have a correction, news tip, local announcement, or story to submit? Contact our editorial team. All submissions are reviewed before publication.