Hi Maggie, 

Swearengin and Peterson Lead GOP Statewide Comeback!

 

Ashley Swearengin and Pete Peterson had impressive wins in Tuesday's Statewide Primary Election as GOP candidates in each of the partisan Constitutional races made the top-two run-off for November.

The highlight was Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin's first position win in the race for State Controller, with Republican David Evans and Democrat John Pérez still battling for second position.  As of June 6th, Evans is ahead of Pérez by just 1,405 votes. If his advantage holds, Republicans will be guaranteed a win in the Controller's race.  The Secretary of State is not required to publish the final list of certified candidates until July 11.  

 

Swearengin will be joined on the State November Ballot by GOP Secretary of State Candidate Pete Peterson who ran neck and neck with Democrat Alex Padilla all evening. The results as of June 6th put Peterson within 4,439 votes of Padilla and in the top-two for the November General Election.  BayAreaGOP will publish final results as soon as they are certified by the Secretary of State.

In the Bay Area, GOP candidates won top-two positions in 24 out of 27 legislative races where BayAreaGOP made recommendations. Assembly candidate Catharine Baker led a crowded field of candidates and outpolled Republican registration, demonstrating that this seat will be in play for November. Locally, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith won re-election with 59.88% of the vote.

I applaud all of the GOP candidates who stepped up to run, and encourage you to view the Featured Candidates page that includes a long list of Republicans who won spots for the November Election.

We have many competitive races to run in November and I trust we can all unite behind our remarkable slate of GOP Candidates.

East Bay Republican Catharine Baker finished first in the Assembly District 16 primary and has a serious chance to win in November.

The contest was the most expensive legislative race in the state, with labor unions supporting Democrat Tim Sbranti, mayor of Dublin, and business groups supporting Democrat Steve Glazer, an Orinda councilmember.  Democrat Newell Arnerich, mayor of Danville, also ran.

 

The results so far are:  

Catharine Baker 36.5% 

Tim Sbranti 29.7% 

Steve Glazer 22.5% 

Newell Arnerich 11.3%.

Glazer is a former advisor to the governor, but has also consulted for the California Chamber of Commerce's JobsPAC.  He was seen as a pro-business moderate, and Catharine Baker may well be able to win over many of Glazer's voters in the runoff.

One strategist described the race as the "Super Bowl of independent expenditures."  Business interests, including the Cal Chamber and the California Realtors Association, spent nearly $2 million backing Glazer, while union efforts on behalf of Sbranti reached nearly $1.8 million.  The Spirit of Democracy PAC, largely funded by Charles Munger Jr., spent around $200,000 in support of Baker.

Catharine Baker is an attorney, a parent dedicated to improving schools, and a volunteer leader in the community.  

She earned her BA degree from the University of Chicago and her law degree at UC Berkeley.  She also worked as a Senior Legislative Assistant in the Congress.

 

Best regards,

Luis