One Stanislaus Supervisor holding off challenger; the other race too close to call

The contests for two seats on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors were not typical races and the outcome of one race may not be finalized for awhile.

Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow held the lead Tuesday night over Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal with all of the precincts reporting. Withrow, who’s seeking a third term, had 54 percent of the vote to 46 percent for Madrigal. Some had thought Madrigal had a chance to beat the prominent incumbent because of Democratic Party efforts that targeted the county for the national midterms.

“We hope the results hold,” Withrow said. “It’s a nice start.”

With some ballots still to count, the second contest was too close to call.

State Sen. Tom Berryhill held a lead with 53 percent, while Frank Damrell III had 47 percent.

Berryhill, who terms out of the legislature next month, missed the legislative session last summer due to health problems and was not able to campaign and make public appearances. The senator from a well-known conservative family suffered a broken hip in July and was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s disease in August.

“This has been one of the craziest things I have been a part of,” Berryhill said by phone Tuesday evening. “With the hip, I can’t get up and do much. I had to rely on the mail and a really good name.”

Berryhill, who’s using a walker due to the slow-healing hip injury, said he does physical therapy three times a week. Asked if he would be healthy enough to serve on the board, Berryhill said, in a strained voice: “I am going to build up my strength so I will have the endurance (to work as a supervisor). I am very appreciative of the people who stuck with me with everything I’ve been through.”

Damrell also is from a prominent family. His father, Frank Damrell Jr., is a former federal district court judge.

Withrow ran for another term to continue with Focus on Prevention, an initiative to address the root causes of social dysfunction, and to battle the state’s Bay-Delta water quality control plan, which is expected to cut water supplies for farmers and Modesto. Along with endorsements from county and state elected officials, Withrow was endorsed by four of the seven Modesto City Council members.

Madrigal was re-elected to a second council term a year ago. For his campaign for supervisor, Madrigal received large donations from unions and the cannabis industry and hoped to ride the “blue wave” that has attempted to oust Republican Congressman Jeff Denham of Turlock.

Madrigal appeared in a television ad with Josh Harder, Denham’s democratic challenger, and was an endorsed candidate who received campaign help from the Democratic Party in California. Madrigal couldn’t be reached Tuesday night.

Damrell, a field representative for state Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, said that job prepared him well for working with constituents in supervisorial District 4, which includes most of Modesto, Del Rio and a small part of Ceres. A main priority for Damrell is finding solutions for homelessness and enhancing mental health services, and he believes the county needs to further explore economic development opportunities.

If the results hold up, Withrow would serve a third term as supervisor for a district including the west side of Modesto, Salida and Wood Colony.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 9:22 PM.