Candidates ready for rematch in 12th District state Senate race
While the final numbers weren’t available as of press time, both state Sen. Shannon Grove and challenger Susanne Gundy knew they would be facing off for the state Senate’s 12th District seat in November.
As the top two, and the only two on the ballot, Grove and Gundy were both virtually guaranteed to face a rematch in about five months, regardless of Tuesday’s results.
As of 8:36 p.m., Grove led Gundy 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent.
Grove, R-Bakersfield, is a small-business owner who’s running for reelection to her second term in the Senate, after three terms in the Assembly.
Gundy is a longtime Democrat who wanted to give Grove a run for her money — meaning she wanted to make sure Grove wasn’t able to just fundraise and spend on other GOP hopefuls with an uncontested candidacy in the 12th, according to a May interview with Gundy.
Grove watched election night results from Fresno, which would be a new area for her to represent.
Neither candidate responded to requests for comment for this story as of press time.
Grove currently represents the 16th District. The newly redrawn 12th District includes parts of Bakersfield, as well as the Kern River Valley, Ridgecrest, Taft, Tehachapi and parts of Fresno and Tulare counties.
The May 23 voter registration report for the 12th District indicates that Gundy faces an uphill battle in her attempt to unseat Grove. The numbers lean Republican, 45.1 percent to 28.4 percent Democratic, with 18.6 percent stating no party preference and 4.5 percent as American Independent.