Democratic Assemblyman wins primary outright, avoids runoff

Did you know that there was an election last night?  Southern Californians trickled into the polls to choose a replacement for now Congressman Juan Vargas.  Ben Hueso, the Democratic State Assemblyman from San Diego cruised to victory, avoiding a runoff election with over 52% of the vote.

Hueso, with strong name recognition, particularly in San Diego County, jumped out to an early lead, hovering just over 50% all night, and never looked back.  His weakest showing came in Riverside County, where he garnered 42%, almost 20 percentage points more than his nearest competitor, real estate agent and Republican Hector Gastelum.  In San Diego County, Hueso won nearly 56% of the vote tally.

The  40th District covers parts of San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside Counties.

Hueso’s victory leaves his 80th Assembly District seat open, where Labor Council CEO Lorena Gonzalez will seek to replace Hueso in a special election.  That special election date has not yet been determined.

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Andy Cohen

Andy spent 15 years working in the highest levels of the San Diego professional sports world, including both the Padres and the Chargers. He began his foray into writing while a volunteer for Francine Busby's 2010 Congressional campaign, eventually becoming a contributor to the now defunct SDNN. He has reported on local and national politics for both the OB Rag and the San Diego Free Press. When not reporting news and events, he offers political and policy commentary from a liberal perspective, occasionally turning back to his sports roots.

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