The top two finishers, California State Assembly member and former acting mayor Todd Gloria and San Diego City Council president pro tem Barbara Bry advanced to the general election.

The campaign for the mayor's office kicked off in early January 2019, when San Diego City Council president pro tem Barbara Bry and California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria officially announced their candidacies.

[18] They were joined in the race later that month by Tasha Williamson, a community activist who works with families who have lost members from police violence.

[20] In November 2019, with less than 100 days to go before the primary, city council member Scott Sherman became the first major Republican to file papers for the mayoral race.

Gloria favored statewide efforts to increase housing supply, aligning himself with the pro-housing development "Yes In My Back Yard" (YIMBY) movement.

[62] The final results released in early April confirmed that Gloria would face Bry in the runoff election.