FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi has dropped his bid to be the county’s elections chief to instead run for the Fresno County Board of Supervisors.

“Right now, I manage a district with 75,000 people,” Karbassi told Action News. “I’m prepared to manage a district with 200,000 people.”

Karbassi joins a crowded field vying to represent District 1. The incumbent, Brian Pacheco, is leaving his seat to run for the State Assembly.

Karbassi now wants to represent Kerman, Mendota, and Firebaugh.

“I’ve met the mayors of the different cities, and I know the issues facing them in each of their communities,” he said.

But just weeks ago, Karbassi began campaigning to replace Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus over claims of “zombie ballots.”

RELATED: Mike Karbassi makes accusations against county clerk opponent James Kus

“There are folks out there who reported receiving duplicate ballots. Not just one or two, but even more,” Karbassi said at a press conference in late October. “All preventable by proper voter roll management, which is something that hasn’t happened in the past six years.”

Action News pressed Karbassi on Thursday. “If you believe what you said then, and you say you still believe it now, why not keep running for that race where you could oversee (elections) day-to-day?”

“I can also, in addition to fixing elections in this county, I can continue to deal with the issues of infrastructure, issues of traffic safety,” Karbassi said.

He vows oversight of Kus, who responded to Karbassi’s new campaign hours later.

“Looking at the Board of Supervisors, also a legislative position, I think that’s a position that may fit Mr. Karbassi a little better than a department head position like county clerk,” Kus said.

The back-and-forth is likely to continue.

“If you are elected to be a supervisor, would you have communication with him or whoever the leader of that office is?” Action News asked Karbassi.

“I’ll tell you this, if he wants his budget approved, he’s going to have to answer questions, and I’m going to be asking questions,” Karbassi said.

Kus is not backing down.

“If Mike Karbassi is elected as the supervisor for supervisor area one, we’re going to be very happy to work with him and answer his questions,” Kus said.

The primary election for the two races is still nearly six months away.

Copyright © 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.