In a race that could take several more weeks to resolve, challenger Patty Lopez leads incumbent Raul Bocanegra in California Assembly District 39. Both are Democrats, a result of California’s Top-Two system. Consequently, the result will not effect the partisan make-up of the state assembly.
Until last night, Lopez had been leading by 7 votes for the past week. Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said today there is still about 113,000 votes county-wide to be counted, so there could be enough in that district to shift that race’s outcome. The next results will be announced on Tuesday, Logan says.
The closeness of the race was a surprise to politicos, since Lopez spent very little money and didn’t have significant name recognition. Bocanegra has accused Lopez of using a GOP political operative to engineer the upset, a charge Lopez has denied.
New totals expected to be released Tuesday. You can keep up with the latest count here.
Sorta off the subject, but George A. Wallace, the AIP candidate in Assembly District 79, as of Friday, Nov 14 had 29,945 votes with more votes to be tallied. Still this is the highest percentage of vote ever cast for a candidate in California by this party.
With the dying or do nothing (whichever is correct) leadership of the AIP, it wouldn’t surprise me if this were the last time an AIP member appeared on a General Election Ballot in California.
If this should happen, a suggested title for a book about this once great party could be entitled: AMERICAN INDEPENENT PARTY: From George C. Wallace to George A. Wallace.
But actually, I wish the leadership of the AIP would start bring attention to this moribund appearing party by opening up it’s presidential preference primary that it is entitled to hold in 2016, and invite all serious candidates to participate.
No comments?
Why does your story refer to her as “Smith”?
Boca’s campaign organization has a Sacramento address, the campaign bio refers to this as his first campaign, and there were no updates in the news update after the March 5 item of “Coming Soon”.
This column says that Boca did not both to campaign in his district, instead funneling his campaign fund into other districts.
Boca had previously been a legislative staffer. Is his primary residence in Los Angeles or Sacramento? The campaign consultant quoted in the story, Josh Pulliam is based in Sacramento. It looks like he just blew the campaign and is lashing out.
Boca defeated Richard Alarcon in 2012. During that campaign allegations of harassment by Boca were raised. Alarcon was convicted this year of voter fraud and perjury, related to charges that he did not live in his city council district in Los Angeles. Boca, who had been a staffer for Alarcon at the time, testified for the prosecution in Alarcon’s trial.
During the 2012 election it was suggested that it was really a battle between Alex Padilla and Gil Cedillo.
Sorry, I had Patty Smith in my head. It is fixed, thanks.
BTW, Fox and Hounds had an article about the race. I’d link to it, but I think BAN’s filters have a problem with Lopez’s opponent’s name.
Please allow me to correct my previous post, by inadvertently mis-naming the California District 79 American Independent nominee, as “George R. Wallace.” I should have typed “George R. Williams,” the correct name of the candidate. I also apologize to Mr. Williams for this human error.
However, I want to congratulate Mr. Williams as having topped the 30,000 vote mark as of Monday, November 17, 2014. His vote total is 30,024. Still a record percentage-wise for any American Independent nominee for a public office under that label.
Correct me Richard, if I am wrong about this as a record number of votes percentage-wise received by an American Independent Party nominee.
As of November 18, 2014, George R. Williams has tallied 30,218 votes for House District 79. Those votes just keep trickling in each day!
Lopez now has a massive 235 vote lead over the candidate whose name may not be spoken.
As of November 20, 2014 American Independent nominee George R. Williams had received 30, 260 votes.
As of November 21, 2014, it appears that all the votes for California House District 79 have been counted. The winner, incumbent Democrat, Shirley M. Weber, polled 49,255 votes to American Independent George R. Williams’ 30,260 votes.
While still a lopsided winning majority, Ms. Weber is the incumbent and to think she could poll only some 19,000 more votes than an obviously underfinanced and political unknown, is to not to be taken lightly.
Even in this loss, Mr. Williams is to be congratulated for the “strong” race he ran!