Eggman, Ridenour to vie for state senate
Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman, DStockton, pulled ahead of the pack late Tuesday and will now face Republican challenger Jim Ridenour in a runoff for State Senate District 5 in November.
According to the California Secretary of State’s election website, unofficial final results for the March 3 primary report Eggman at the top of the five-candidate pool with 31.4% of the vote.
Ridenour, the former mayor of Modesto, tallied 27.9% of the vote with 451 of 452 precincts reporting as of Wednesday morning.
In an e-mail statement Wednesday morning, Eggman thanked the major communities in the three counties within the District 5 boundaries for “knowing that I have your back and you have mine.” She added it was time to lift the Central Valley up.
“For us the results show that outside big money interests can’t come into a community and define a public servant who has done the work of the community for a decade,” she said. “Let’s continue to do the work to build the Central Valley of California to be the great place we’ve always been destined to be, to reflect the people that we are, and to say that every single one of us counts, and every single one of us has a place at the table.”
Eggman’s comments about outside big money most likely reference the campaign launched by Modesto City Councilman Mani Grewal, who reported contributions from oil giants Valero Services and Chevron Corporation, as well as the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles and the California Dental Association, all of which donated upwards of $4,000 each.
Grewal’s campaign ads also seemed to focus on defeating Eggman, attacking her voting record on issues like overtime for agricultural workers, as well as claiming she was more concerned with Bay Area residents than those in the Central Valley.
A Stanislaus County farmer and independent businessman, Grewal received 17.9% of the vote Tuesday for a third-place finish.
A spokesperson for Grewal was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Stockton City Councilman Jesus Andrade, director of the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, garnered 16.7%, while Stockton Unified School District Board of Education member Kathleen Garcia received just 6.1%.
The California State Senate’s District 5 includes all of San Joaquin County; the northern portion of Stanislaus County that includes Modesto, Riverbank and Salida; and a sliver of southern Sacramento County that includes Galt.
Eggman performed well in San Joaquin County, garnering 34% of the vote, while Ridenour did well in his home of Stanislaus County, receiving 37.3% of the vote.
He also led candidates in Sacramento County, tallying 30.7% of the votes there.
Grewal’s results in his home county were middle of the road, collecting 20.8% of the vote. Andrade saw similar results in San Joaquin County, receiving 18.5% of the vote.
While the Senate District 5 race was close, San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters Melinda Dubroff said it should take her office about a month to certify and finalize results.
“I want to thank the 1,400 poll workers who dedicated their time and effort to ensure every vote could be cast, counted and verified,” she said in an election night media statement. “The ballot counting from today's election is underway, but voters must be patient because the results are not certified until completion of the canvass no later than April 2.”