East Bay State Senate Race Primary Race Too Close to Call

It appears too close to call who will advance in today’s primary election for a vacant state Senate seat representing parts of Contra Costa and Alameda counties, with Orinda Mayor Steve Glazer leading and two other candidates vying for the second spot in November’s general election. Glazer had 31.8 percent of the vote, while state Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, had 25.2 percent and termed-out former Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan had 22.4 percent, according to unofficial election results with 355 of 645 precincts reporting as of 10:20 p.m. All three are Democrats.

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Republican candidate Michaela Hertle, who withdrew from the race last month and endorsed Glazer, nevertheless received 17.7 percent of the vote, while Democrat and psychology professor Terry Kremin had 2.9 percent, according to the unofficial results.

The candidates are seeking the 7th state Senate district seat vacated by Mark DeSaulnier, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives last November and endorsed Bonilla to replace him. Glazer, who has served on the Orinda City Council since 2004, emphasized infrastructure improvements and education reform in his campaign literature. He made headlines in 2013 as an advocate for a statewide ban on transit strikes amid two BART strikes that year. Bonilla, who served as a Contra Costa County supervisor and mayor of Concord prior to her election to the state Assembly in 2010, is a former high school teacher whose platform for the state Senate seat focused primarily on education, including better funding for K-12 schools. Buchanan, who served in the state Assembly from 2008 to 2014, has also emphasized education. She previously served for 18 years on the San Ramon Valley Unified School District’s board of education.

The 7th district includes the cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Danville, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pleasanton, Pittsburg, San Ramon and Walnut Creek.

By Bay City News

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