Ceres resident Chad Condit was eclipsed in the June 7 primary election by fellow Democrat Jessica Self in their bids to win the seat for the newly created Assembly District 22, which encompasses Ceres. In unofficial results, Self is headed to a November runoff with Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Alanis, a Republican who received the most votes.
In the primary election, former Ceres City Councilman Jeff McKay lost his bid to take the State Senate District 4 race.
Democrat Adam Gray led the polls in the newly created U.S. Congressional District 13 race with Republican Tom McClintock leading in the new U.S. Congressional District 5 on the east side of Stanislaus County.
Assembly District 22 race
While the election count is not complete, Republican Juan Alanis appears to be the vote leader in the 22nd state Assembly District race. As of Tuesday morning, Alanis had collected 12,470 votes, or 33.6 percent, over Democrat attorney Jessica Self who amassed 10,307 votes at 27.7 percent. The two are headed to a runoff in the Nov. 8 primary election.
Edged out in third place was Democrat Chad Condit who picked up 8,886 votes (23.9 percent). Two others lagged farther behind – Republican Joel Gutierrez Campos with 4,275 votes, or 11.5 percent; and Republican Guadalupe “Lupita” Salazar with 1,2129 votes (3.3 percent).
Condit, the son of former Congressman Gary Condit and father of Supervisor Channce Condit, had unsuccessfully run for Congress as an independent in 2012.
State Senate District 4 race
In the latest counts, Democrat Tim Robertson was leading in the state Senate District 4 with 38,747 votes, or 22.3 percent of the vote, followed by Democrat Marie Alvarado-Gil with 32,437 votes, or 18.7 percent. Trailing the Democrats was former Republican Congressman George Radanovich with 29,010 votes, or 16.7 percent of the vote; Republican McKay at 27,708 votes (15.9 percent); Republican Steven C. Bailey with 28,768 votes (16.5 percent); Republican Jack Griffith, 8,423 votes (4.8 percent); Republican Mike Gordon, 5,258 votes (3.0 percent); and in last place Republican Jolene Daly, 3,512 votes (2.0 percent).
Congressional races
Moderate Democrat and state Assemblyman Adam Gray led the polls in the race for the newly created Congressional District 13 which encompasses Ceres. Gray led the count with 14,196, or 32.6 percent of the vote. He faces a runoff with Republican John Duarte who collected 13,923 votes (32.0 percent). Results trimmed off three other candidates: Democrat Phil Arballo, 8,073 votes (18.5 percent); Republican David A. Giglio, 6,177 votes (14.2 percent); and Republican Diego Javier Martinez, 1,189 votes (2.7 percent).
Most of the eastern half of Stanislaus County, including Hughson, Waterford, Hickman and Oakdale, is being placed into the 5th Congressional District.
With the eastern section of Stanislaus County now in the new Congressional District 5, Republican Tom McClintock delivered a wallop to his challengers. The incumbent conservative congressman received 70,719 votes (458 percent) compared to his next closest rival, Democrat Michael Barkely who rounded up 53,153 votes (34.4 percent). Republican Nathan Magsig trailed with 18,265 votes (11.8 percent of the vote). Others who trailed far behind were: No Party Preference candidate Steve Wozniak, 5,081 votes (3.3 percent); Republican David Main, 4,982 votes (3.2 percent); and Republican Kelsten Obert, 2,322 votes (1.5 percent).
The top pointy portion of Stanislaus County, which includes the rural areas around the Woodward Reservoir, and Eugene, will now fall inside of the 9th Congressional District now represented by Democrat Rep. Jeremy McNerney. Rep. Josh Harder led in that race, collecting 8,195 votes, or 36.4 percent. Republican Tom Patti received 6,623 votes, or 29.4 percent. Six other candidates were in the race.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom cruised to an easy victory in Tuesday’s primary barely one year after surviving a recall attempt, advancing to the November general election where he will be an overwhelming favorite to defeat a little-known Republican state senator.
As of Wednesday, Newsom had received 2,830,6678 votes, or 56.3 percent. Coming in second place is farmer and Republican state Senator Brian Dahle, who hails from the rural northeast corner of the state, with 882,686 votes (17.5 percent). The other wide field of candidates all received under four percent of the vote count.
Just a year ago, it looked as if Newsom could be on his way out as more than 1.7 million voters signed a petition to recall him. Dozens of Republicans lined up to challenge him in the September recall election, eager to take down the Democratic governor of the nation’s most populous state ahead of the 2022 midterms.
Instead, Newsom defeated the recall in such a decisive way that none of the major contenders from last year filed to challenge him for reelection this year.
“This is almost the definition of a noncompetitive race,” said Jessica Levinson, a political commentator and election law professor at Loyola Marymount University.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Alex Padilla had an equally easy time advancing to a November runoff. He was appointed to the seat by Newsom last year after Kamala Harris resigned to become vice president.
Padilla was on the ballot twice — once to complete the final few months of Harris’ term and another in a race for a full six-year term that begins in January.
Early vote totals showed Republican attorney Mark Meuser was second in both races. Meuser’s work with the Dhillon Law Group has included 22 lawsuits against Newsom saying he overstepped his authority in imposing coronavirus restrictions.
Voter turnout in the state was light despite significant frustration by voters over record-high gas prices, rising crime and a homelessness crisis in cities large and small. The Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Office recorded a dismal 16.68 percent turnout of registered voters.
In the lieutenant governor race, incumbent Democrat Eleni Kounalakis ran away early with 2,586,233 votes (52.8 percent). She will face a runoff election in November with Republican businesswoman and Lancaster vice mayor Angela E. Underwood Jacobs who received 976,076 votes, or 19.9 percent. Jacobs is the sister of a federal agent who was killed in 2020 guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland.
California State Attorney General Rob Bonta received 54.7 percent of the vote, clearly knocking out second-place finisher Republican Nathan Hochman, 18.5 percent.
All the Stanislaus County races were uneventful since there were no challengers for a single candidate. They were:
• Stanislaus County Assessor Don H. Gaekle.
• County Auditor-Controller Kashmir Gill.
• Donna Linder, the county clerk-recorder.
• Criminal prosecutor Jeff Laugero for Stanislaus County district attorney.
• Superintendent of Schools Scott Kuykendall.
• Sheriff Jeff Dirkse.
• Treasurer-Tax Collector Donna Riley.
For the most up-to-date election results, visit: https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/
