34th Congressional District Election Results: Gomez And Ahn Lead

LOS ANGELES, CA — Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez led the field in Tuesday's 34th Congressional District special election and appeared likely to face attorney Robert Lee Ahn in a June 6 runoff.

Gomez, D-Eagle Rock, had 5,155 votes, 27.63 percent of the vote, with Ahn, a fellow Democrat, second with 22.63 percent, with 83 of 192 precincts reporting, 43.23 percent, according to figures released by the Los Angeles Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Democrat Maria Cabildo, an economic development director, was the only other candidate to top 1,000 votes, was in third with 1,446 votes.

Because no candidate will receive a majority, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held June 6.

The special election was prompted by the appointment of then-Rep. Xavier Becerra as attorney general, succeeding Kamala Harris, who was elected to the Senate.

The district stretches roughly from Koreatown in the west to the Long Beach (710) Freeway in the east and from the Santa Monica (10) Freeway in the south to the Ventura (134) Freeway in the north. It includes downtown Los Angeles, the Westlake district, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights.

Twenty-three people appeared on the ballot, 19 of them Democrats looking to represent the overwhelmingly Democratic district. Most of the candidates have never held elective office, with the exception of Gomez and former Los Angeles Unified School District board member Yolie Flores.

Flores was in ninth with 616 votes, 3.3 percent.

Becerra endorsed Gomez, who said he hopes to "continue to build an inclusive and diverse country that values people from all walks of life."

There field also includes one candidate each from the Green and Libertarian parties, certified public accountant Kenneth Mejia and tenants' rights paralegal Angela E. McArdle. Immigration law administrator Mark Edward Padilla did not state a party preference.

Michelle Walker, a Democrat and community activist, qualified as a write- in candidate.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock