Javier Lopez is leading Gary M. Condit by 140 votes in the Ceres mayor’s race but additional mail-in ballots will continue to be counted throughout the next week.
In unofficial results, Lopez received 3,287 votes (43.03 percent) to Condit’s 3,147 votes (41.20 percent). Trailing in last place is Ceres City Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra with 1,205 votes (15.77 percent).
State law forbids counties from certifying results until 30 days after the election.
“It looks like we won but I don’t want to celebrate yet,” said Lopez. “I’m going to wait until the results are final. I want to be respectful to everyone.”
Lopez held a watch party with 40 supporters at the Republican Party of Stanislaus County’s Hatch Road office next to Mountain Mike's Pizza, on Election eve. Lopez arrived at his headquarters at 4 p.m. and didn't leave the “battle station” until 2 a.m.
“Voters came in, had some tacos and we talked,” said Lopez.
District 4 Councilman Daniel Martinez was among the visitors who dropped by. He was unopposed on the ballot and collected 1,150 votes.
Condit held a 60-vote lead over Lopez in the Ceres mayor’s race with all precincts counted but the direction of the election changed when mail ballots were counted.
“As the night progressed, I started feeling more comfortable after seeing the updated results,” commented Lopez.
The elections office reported 508 under votes, which means 508 voters chose not to mark the ballot in that race. There were 10 over votes, meaning they voted for two candidates for mayor and they were tossed out. Twenty-one rejected write-in votes were cast.
Voter turnout in the mayor’s race was 34.09 percent. Specifically, out of 24,001 registered voters in the city of Ceres, 8,183 ballots were cast.
Despite that he cannot declare victory he said the vote “shows people are voting for who best represents them. Them having confidence in me for another four years is a great responsibility. I don’t want to let anybody down.”
Lopez started campaigning for his re-election bid during the springtime. He raised a totaled of $47,200.
“I’ve been door-knocking since last March,” said Lopez, who raised just $3,000 during his first successful bid for election which coincided with the coronavirus pandemic.
Lopez is optimistic about the future of Ceres.
“My goal is to continue the growth of the city the next four years. We have a lot of potential. It’s a team effort. The mayor doesn't run the entire city alone. It takes the whole council.”
Otero leads over Silveira
In the Ceres City Council District 3 race, Councilman Bret Silveira appears headed toward defeat in his re-election bid. Cerina Otero, a member of the Ceres Planning Commission, had 1,227 votes (55.45 percent) to Silveira’s 986 votes (44.55 percent).
City Treasurer Kayla Martinez was unopposed and re-elected to another four-year term with 6,309 votes.
Hughson race
In the city of Hughson, it appears that Alan McFadon and Sam T. Rush have won two open City Council seats in a five-way race. In unofficial results, McFadon received 723 votes (27.95 percent) and Rush received 605 votes (23.39 percent). Susana Vasquez has received 572 votes (22.11 percent), Billy Gonzales collected 425 votes (16.43 percent) and Abel Moran came in last place with 262 votes (10.13 percent).
Congressional race
According to the California Secretary of State’s website, the 13th Congressional District contest is going well for incumbent GOP Congressman John Duarte. In the latest results, Duarte led with 56,785 votes (51.4 percent) over Democrat Adam Gray who received 53,596 votes (48.6 percent).
Gray remained upbeat and released this statement after the polls closed: “The San Joaquin Valley is one of the hardest working places in the world with some of the hardest working people. Valley families deserve a representative in Congress who will work as hard as they do. While this race is still too early to call, I believe that once every ballot is counted, voters will have rejected John Duarte’s partisan gridlock in favor of accountable and independent leadership.
“Every vote matters. I’m grateful for the hardworking folks counting ballots throughout the state tonight. We feel confident about where we stand and we’ll continue to watch the results roll in. I look forward to representing my neighbors and continuing my work for the Valley.”
(Dale Butler contributed to this article)
