Election results: Close primary race suggests close race in 36th constituency
In the field of primary candidates Election results: Close primary race suggests close race in 36th constituency vying to replace longtime Democratic Rep. Eduardo Garcia, early results released Tuesday night show Republican Jeff Gonzalez in the lead, while several Democratic candidates It was shown that they still have the upper hand and are aiming for a spot in the general election.
Gonzalez won 32.7 of more than 27,000 votes in the race to represent House District 36, which covers the eastern Coachella Valley, according to results posted Tuesday night on the California Secretary of State’s website. He came in first place with 9,034 votes, which is equivalent to 9,034 votes.
As more votes are reported, several Democratic candidates are vying for the next slot moving forward to the November election. Jose “Joey” Acuña Jr. placed him in second place with 5,143 votes (18.6%), while Edgardo Garcia placed him in first place. He followed him closely with 4,584 votes (16.6%).
Overall, the five Democratic candidates received 57% of the vote and the two Republican candidates received 43%.
Mr. Garcia, a Democrat from Coachella who was first elected to the California State Assembly in 2014, admitted late last year that he would not run for re-election, saying he wanted to spend more time with his children after all these years. After that, this crowded chamber appeared. Commuting to Sacramento. His announcement came just days after the deadline for incumbent lawmakers to seek re-election.
Since California’s recent redistricting, Mr. Garcia represents the 36th Congressional District, which includes Coachella, Indio, the rest of the eastern Coachella Valley, and eastern Riverside County to the Arizona border. Includes up to. This vast district also includes all of Imperial County and parts of eastern San Bernardino County. In the 2022 election, Garcia won re-election with 53.4% of the vote against Republican Ian Weeks, who is running this year in the 25th Congressional District.
A total of seven candidates, five Democrats and two Republicans, ran in the primary election. Under California’s election system, the top two candidates in the primary, regardless of party, qualify for the November general election.
Candidate
Garcia’s endorsed candidate is Acuña, a Democrat who previously served on the Board of Education from 1992 to 2000 and has been on the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Education since 2014. Serves as a board member. In addition to Garcia, several Riverside County elected officials have endorsed Acuña, including Coach V. Manuel Perez and Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez.
Another candidate from the Valley is Democrat Waymond Firmon, who has served on the Indio City Council since 2018. In 2022, he became Ind.’s first Black mayor during the city’s annual leadership transition. Furmon also works as a corrections officer at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County. Initial results Tuesday night showed Mr. Fermont received 2,363 votes, or 8.5%.
Of the two Republican candidates for the House seat, Mr. Gonzalez, an India-based business owner and former Marine, has received the most prominent support from conservatives, including members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Ken Calvert, R-Corona. Several Republicans in the California state legislature. and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Mr. Gonzalez previously challenged Mr. Garcia in 2018 to represent Congressional District 56, a district in the area before the final round of redistricting. He contested the general election, but lost by a landslide, receiving 64.8% of the vote to Garcia’s 35.2%.
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Meanwhile, Democrat Thomas Oliva, who has been an El Centro City Council member since 2018, is running for the seat in Imperial County. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Ind.), whose district overlaps with much of the 36th Congressional District. (Mr. Ruiz is seeking reelection this year.) In the first results announced Tuesday night, Mr. Oliva received 2,155 votes, or 7.8%.
Karin Morse, the only Republican in the race, is a board member of a Westmoreland-based nonprofit. Initial results Tuesday night showed Mr. Morse received 2,819 votes, or 10.2%.
Garcia, the third-place candidate Tuesday night, is an attorney who has served on the El Centro City Council since 2015. Mr. Garcia has also served as the Imperial County District Director for the California League of Cities since 2021.
Democrat Eric Rodriguez, a member of the El Centro Central Union High School District Board of Trustees since 2020, received 1,563 votes in the first round of voting Tuesday night. Rodriguez, formerly an El Centro police officer, now works for the Imperial County Child Protective Services Emergency Response Unit.
According to voter registration data, Democrats make up 43.8% of registered voters in the House district, while registered Republicans make up about 27.3%. A significant proportion of registered voters (21.3%) have no party preference. Click Here
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