Is a state Senate seat slipping away from the GOP? Stanislaus County updates count
Two Democrats are still out in front in the state Senate District 4 primary, according to updated election tallies.
Tim Robertson, a labor leader, held a strong lead with 21.9% of the vote. Marie Alvarado-Gil, a school administrator, remained in second place with 18.4% but held a smaller lead over the closest Republican, former congressman George Radanovich, who has 17.3%.
As of Friday, 2,530 votes separated Alvarado-Gil and Radanovich after 459 of 471 precincts were partially counted, according to the California Secretary of State. The campaign manager for Radanovich told CalMatters earlier in the week the race is not over.
Radanovich, one of the favorites in a senate district stretching across 13 mostly mountain counties, divided up 128,835 GOP votes with five other Republican hopefuls in a district that seemed an easy win for the GOP. The two Democrats who are leading received a combined 87,181 votes.
California’s open primary sends the top two vote-getters to the November election regardless of their political party. If the two Democrats remain in front, the GOP won’t have a candidate on the November ballot.
GOP candidates Steven Bailey, with 16.9%, and Jeff McKay of Ceres, with 15.8%, are in fourth and fifth place, respectively. With 37,276 votes, Radanovich would easily be the leader if either Bailey’s 36,568 votes or McKay’s 34,182 votes had gone to him.
Trailing the field are three other Republicans with less than 5%. Stanislaus and parts of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties are included in the senate district.
In Assembly District 22, Republican Juan Alanis and progressive Democrat Jessica Self are heading for the November ballot. The latest update showed 36.5% for Alanis, a Stanislaus County sheriff’s sergeant, and 27% for Self, a defense attorney. Democrat Chad Condit is third with 20.4%.
Republicans Joel Gutierrez Campos and Guadalupe Salazar have 12.7% and 3.5%, respectively. The assembly district includes most of Stanislaus and part of Merced County.
In Congressional District 13, Republican John Duarte of Hughson and Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray of Merced will face off in November. Duarte leads the pack with 34.3%. Gray has 31%, followed by Democrat Phil Arballo with 17.3% and Republicans David Giglio with 14.8% and Diego Martinez with 2.6%.
The congressional district includes Merced County and runs through parts of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties. The November ballot will offer a choice between Duarte, a conservative tree nursery owner, and Gray, a moderate Democrat. Both are strong advocates for securing the water needs of agriculture.
Local residents are also watching the vote count in Congressional District 9, where Central Valley congressman Josh Harder is leading with 38.9% and San Joaquin County supervisor Tom Patti is second with 28.2%. Harder is a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, and Patti will try to win the seat for the GOP. Fellow Republican Jim Shoemaker is a distant third with 13.3%.
Five other candidates have less than 10% in a congressional district that includes most of San Joaquin County and a small part of Stanislaus and Contra Costa counties.
About 46 percent of the votes in the 9th district reportedly have not been counted yet. The remaining vote count may provide a better picture of who may win the congressional seat in November.
Harder represented Stanislaus County constituents in the House of Representatives after defeating Rep. Jeff Denham in November 2018, but congressional districts were redrawn after the 2020 Census. The 9th congressional seat is rated as likely for the Democrats.
Rep. Tim McClintock, with 45.5%, is leading a field of six candidates in Congressional District 5 including parts of Stanislaus and seven other counties stretching from El Dorado to Fresno. Democrat Michael Barkley of Manteca is second with 33.6% and Nathan Magsig of Fresno has 13.1%, followed by three others with less than 5%.
Stanislaus County releases update
The Stanislaus County registrar of voters office released an update Thursday on results of the June 7 primary and said about 950 ballots remain to be counted.
Two seats on the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors were decided by previous updates. Three-term incumbent Terry Withrow in District 3 defeated Modesto Councilman Tony Madrigal. Withrow increased his lead to 62.24% with Thursday’s county update; Madrigal has 37.76%.
In county District 4, appointed Supervisor Mani Grewal, with 77.58%, scored an easy victory over Joel DeGraef.
In another local election, Bob Amaral is the leader for a short term on the Oakdale City Council. Amaral has 25.6% and holds a 107-vote lead over Kevin Davis, with 22.98%. Kayleigh Gilbert has 21.5%, Jennifer Harris has 17% and Anthony Pratt has 12.96%
