Leonard Padilla

The Sacramento mayor’s race is officially headed to a fall runoff between top primary vote-getters Kevin Johnson and Heather Fargo.

After more than a week of counting absentee votes, the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters has posted an update on its Web site noting that neither incumbent Heather Fargo nor challenger Kevin Johnson received the mandatory 51 percent in the June 3 primary needed to avoid a November general election.

With all 378 precincts counted, Johnson, a former professional basketball player, won 30,929 votes, good for 46 percent. Fargo, a two-term incumbent, won 26,669 votes, good for 39 percent. Other candidates in the race, including Leonard Padilla, Shawn Eldredge, and Muriel Strand, accounted for the remaining votes.

It's a good thing Sacramento Bee editorial cartoonist Rex Babin showed up to the Sacramento mayoral forum last Wednesday. He was able to capture all the fun and akwardness with the tip of his ink pen.

Kevin Johnson is no stranger to the bright lights and big plays of the NBA, but how will he fare in the political spotlight?

Johnson, a Sacramento native who is running for mayor, will take on the Democratic incumbent, Heather Fargo and five others, in his first debate on Wednesday.