SAN DIEGO, CA — Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey still held a commanding lead Friday in the race for San Diego City Council's open District 2 seat, while incumbent Councilman Henry Foster III continued to trail challenger Martha Abraham in the contest for the District 4 post.
District 6 incumbent Kent Lee also led his reelection bid, while Antonio Martinez paced the field in the race for the open District 8 seat.
With votes still being counted, Bailey was ahead after receiving 10,868 votes, or 37.23%, followed by Nicole Crosby with 9,423 votes, or 32.28%, and Josh Coyne with 3,552 votes, or 12.17%.
District 2 is represented by Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell and District 8 by Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, both of whom are termed out.
Foster, first elected in 2024 to replace Monica Montgomery Steppe -- who won a special county supervisor election in 2023 -- was trailing Abraham, who led with 40.29% of the vote on Friday, versus Foster's 39.7%. The two leading candidates are separated by just 88 votes. Johnny Lee Dang was in third place with 20.01%.
In the District 6 race, Lee -- first elected in 2022 -- was well ahead with 56.53%, while challenger Mark Powell received 43.47%.
Antonio Martinez increased his lead by more than two points ahead of three other contenders for the District 8 seat, at 31.27%, according to county voting results.
Candidate Gerardo Ramirez was in second at 25.81%, followed by Venus Molina at 23.07% and Rafael Perez at 18.72%.
In other municipalities, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann continued to hold a strong lead at 59.3%, while challenger Francisco Tamayo was in second place with 36.69%, while Yair Gerstein garnered 4%.
Carolina Chavez, Chula Vista City Council member for District 1, was in first place with 42.22%, followed by Greg Martinez with 25% and Joy Emmanuel at 17.26%.
In the District 2 Chula Vista City Council race, incumbent Jose Preciado was in the lead at 46.74%, followed by Angelica S. Martinez at 27.7%, Russ Hall at 14.63% and Jesse Navarro at 10.93%.
In Poway's one City Council race, Anita Edmondson -- who previously served for one year on the council, from 2023-24 -- continued to hold the lead with 54.44%, followed by Vanessa Springett at 45.56%.
— City News Service
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
San Diego, CA Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.