Candidate from Stanislaus County trails in State Senate District 4 race
Stanislaus County resident Tim Robertson is trailing behind opponent Marie Alvarado-Gil in California’s Senate District 4 seat and the margin widened as more votes were tallied Wednesday morning.
Alvarado-Gil had 51.4% of the votes over opponent Robertson, who was behind by more than 4,300 votes, according to results from the California Secretary of State’s Office.
“I am grateful voters in Stanislaus County heard my message of lower inflation, lower taxes, and getting government out of people’s lives,” Alvarado Gil said by text Tuesday night.
Her lead was even bigger in Stanislaus County, where she had 52.4% of the votes.
Both candidates are Democrats in a majority Republican district that includes all of Stanislaus County and all or parts of 12 other counties south and east of here, ranging from Nevada County north of Lake Tahoe to Death Valley in Inyo County.
Six GOP candidates ran in the primary, ultimately diluting the vote and paving the way for Robertson and Gill. California since 2012 has operated under a nonpartisan primary system that sends the two with the most votes to a runoff in the general election. It allows voters to choose from all the candidates in the primary instead of just those in the party they are registered under.
Alvarado-Gil lives in Amador County. She is a school administrator and a commissioner on the state Advisory Commission on Special Education.
A moderate Democratic with some right-leaning beliefs, she promised to stand up against aggressive government overreach and champion policy to build a strong economy.
Alvarado-Gil said she would work to address high gas prices and inflation, secure the water supply, add educational opportunities, attract employers with livable wages and expand internet connectivity in rural areas, all without increasing taxes.
Robertson has said he has a long history of working in a bipartisan manner in this community. “Housing and good jobs, job training and good, safe schools are all issues that don’t have a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ next to their name,” he said.
He works in Modesto as executive director of the nonprofit North Valley Labor Federation, a six-county labor union partnership. He serves on several boards and committees, including the Keyes Community Services District and Stanislaus 2030, which he described as a collaboration among businesses, workers, elected officials, education leaders and community interests to explore and implement economic development strategies to grow the local economy.
In a statement released Wednesday night Robertson thanked his supports and campaign volunteers and said while he was behind there are still “tens of thousands of ballots remaining to be counted in many counties, including Stanislaus and El Dorado.”
“We always knew this race would be incredibly close. Sacramento special interests spent more than $2 million in an attempt to buy this seat for my opponent,” Robertson said in his statement. “It’s extraordinary that it is too early to know who will win after being outspent nearly 4:1. No matter the outcome, I am determined to continue my work here with area partners to improve the livelihood of residents.”
Robertson said his top priority is improving the economic conditions of working families by expanding job training programs and quality education, reducing costs for things like gas and food, and affording better access to healthcare and a secure retirement.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 9:10 PM.
