Incumbents Lead In Several Races For State Senate, Assembly

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County incumbents were leading in several races for seats in the state Senate and Assembly Wednesday.

In the lone state Senate race in the county, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, claimed victory over Republican Linda Blankenship in District 39, which stretches from Solana Beach to southern San Diego, and east into San Pasqual Valley.

While votes were still being counted Wednesday, Atkins issued a statement thanking her supporters for re-electing her.

"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude that you, my neighbors in the 39th Senate District, have elected me to serve as your state senator for a second term.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, Atkins held 67.5% of the vote.

Atkins was running unopposed in the March primary until Blankenship emerged as a write-in candidate.

Blankenship, a Carmel Valley resident and business owner, has worked as a consultant, among other roles, on "every level of political campaigns from school board to presidential races," according to her campaign.

Atkins, California's first female and LGBTQ Senate President Pro Tem, formerly served on the San Diego City Council. She was elected to the state Assembly in 2010, and was eventually chosen as Assembly Speaker.

In the 71st Assembly District, incumbent Randy Voepel, R-Santee, held 57.9% of the vote against Democrat Elizabeth Lavertu, with an unknown number of ballots still left to count from Tuesday's election.

Voepel served as Santee's mayor from 2000 until 2016, when he was elected to represent the 71st District, which encompasses a large portion of eastern San Diego County, as well as portions of Riverside County.

Voepel and Lavertu were the only two candidates in the March primary, with Voepel taking more than 60% of the vote.

In the 75th District, Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, held a narrow lead in her reelection bid against behavioral health care provider Karen "Kate" Schwartz.

Results tallied by Wednesday afternoon showed Waldron holding a 52.6% to 47.4% lead over Schwartz.

Waldron was first elected in 2012 and began serving as Assembly Republican leader in 2018. She previously served on the Escondido City Council.

Waldron took about 56% of the vote during the March primary, versus Schwartz, who earned nearly 38%.

Schwartz sits on the Fallbrook Regional Health District Board and has worked as a behavioral health care provider for the past 35 years, according to her campaign website.

The 75th District covers much of northern San Diego County, including Escondido, Fallbrook and San Marcos, and also covers Temecula in Riverside County.

In the 76th District, Tasha Boerner Horvath, D-Encinitas, was leading comfortably against Republican challenger Melanie Burkholder, a mental health counselor and former Secret Service agent.

Wednesday afternoon results had Boerner Horvath holding 57.5% of the vote to Burkholder's 42.5%.

Boerner Horvath was elected to the Encinitas City Council in 2016, then won the 76th District seat two years later. The Assemblywoman won 57.5% of the vote in the March primary, with Burkholder covering the other 42.5%. She said the health and economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic will be her focus, if reelected, while Burkholder says repealing Assembly Bill 5, combating homelessness and championing public safety are among her priorities.

The North County District covers the Camp Pendleton area south through Encinitas.

In the 77th District, Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, D-San Diego, was leading with 57.8% of the vote against Republican June Cutter, who held 42.2%, according to early results.

Maienschein, who was elected to the seat in 2012, is seeking reelection two years after switching parties. He previously ran as a Republican in every election, but shortly after being re-elected in 2018, announced he was changing his party affiliation, partly due to disagreements with President Donald Trump's leadership.

Cutter, an attorney and small business owner who lives in Del Sur, says schools, crime, and homelessness have all gotten worse under Maienschein's watch, and said his party switch was part of what prompted her to run for office.

Prior to being elected, Maienschein served on the San Diego City Council and as the city's first commissioner on homelessness. He took 57.5% of the March primary vote, with Cutter taking 42.5%

The 77th District covers northeastern San Diego, and Poway and Rancho Santa Fe to the north.

San Diego City Councilman Chris Ward was enjoying a healthy lead in the race for the 78th Assembly District race against health care worker Sarah Davis.

The two Democratic candidates are seeking the seat vacated by Todd Gloria as he vies to become San Diego's mayor.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Ward held 57.5% of the vote, against 42.5% for Davis.

Ward has been on the city council since 2016. He serves as chair of the council's Land Use and Housing Committee and previously served as chair of the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. He also previously served as chief of staff to state Sen. Marty Block, who represented the 78th District.

Davis is a licensed midwife who is vice president and policy chair of the California Association of Midwives. She also co-founded Birth Roots Women's Health & Maternity Center in Chula Vista.

Ward took more than 55% of the vote in the March primary, with Davis trailing at nearly 28%.

The 78th District covers coastal San Diego County from Solana Beach to the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the 79th District, incumbent Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, was heading for victory over Republican challenger John Moore.

As of Wednesday afternoon, results showed Weber with 66.4% of the vote.

Weber has held the seat since 2012 and took nearly two-thirds of the vote in the past two elections, both against Moore.

According to Weber's campaign, her legislative priorities include strengthening civil rights, protecting people with disabilities and increasing educational opportunities, which she described as a "lifelong commitment," stemming from her work as a board member for the San Diego Unified School District, and as a San Diego State University professor.

Moore is a retired businessman and Air Force veteran who says he will fight to increase economic opportunities for district residents, who Moore says have been adversely affected by regulations driving companies out of state.

The 79th District stretches from Mission Valley to La Mesa, then south into Chula Vista.

In the 80th District, covering City Heights to the north and stretching south to the U.S-Mexico border, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, was also heading for reelection.

By Wednesday afternoon, numbers had Gonzalez Fletcher taking 71.6% of the vote, with 28.3% of votes for Republican John Vogel.

Gonzalez Fletcher received nearly 73% of the March primary vote, with Vogel trailing at around 18%.

She was first elected to the Assembly in 2013, and previously worked as senior adviser to then-Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.

Vogel previously sought election to the South Bay Irrigation District in 2016, but was defeated by incumbent Jose Cerda.

— City News Service