Party’s same in some races, but there are differences

The fundamental goal of people running for office is to draw distinctions between themselves and their opponents.

That can be more difficult when candidates in the general election are from the same party. Sometimes the differences are nuanced, sometimes not. A small handful of intraparty races this fall feature both.

Democrats David Alvarez and Georgette Gómez long were philosophically in sync and considered allies. A lot of that changed when the former San Diego City Council members ran for an open Assembly seat.

That played out in the spring when voters chose Alvarez to fill the seat temporarily in a special election that ran concurrently with the primary for a full twoyear term. (Gómez remains on the November ballot but announced a month ago she was ending her campaign, seeing no path to victory in November.)

Democrats Tommy Hough and Kent Lee running in San Diego City Council District 6 initially seemed to have parallel views on Democratic and labor priorities. Then Hough shifted as the campaign heated up.

On the flip side are Republican Assemblymembers Randy Voepel and Marie Waldron. The once-adecade reapportionment put them in the same district, yet they remain consistent and have similar positions on several key issues. The differences between them are more about tone and approach.

At the state and federal level, party-on-party general election races have become common, if not ubiquitous, in California since voters in 2010 approved the “top two” primary system. That sends the top two vote-getters to the November election, regardless of party affiliation.

Before, separate partisan primaries guaranteed a Democrat and a Republican would advance to November, along with candidates from smaller parties.

Same-party matchups in certain San Diego city races have happened even longer. Municipal races always have been nonpartisan, at least in modern times, though that’s pretty much viewed as a technicality, given political parties and allied interests greatly influence the campaigns.

In the city’s more Democratic southern communities — typically covered by Districts 4 and 8 — Democrat vs. Democrat elections have been regular occurrences for decades. That dynamic has spread to the council’s northern districts in recent years as the city’s percentage of registered Democratic voters has grown, while the portion of Republican voters has declined.

The Alvarez-Gómez race for the South County 80th Assembly District became a high-profile example of what’s happening across deep blue California. The old partisan dynamics have adapted to the new reality. Some time ago, business interests tended to line up behind the Republican candidate and labor supported the Democrat, though there were exceptions.

Now it’s not so simple. In the Assembly races this year, 14 of the 80 districts have two Democrats competing against each other on Nov. 8, according to John Wilkens of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Three of the races have two Republicans.

Alvarez and Gómez had been favorites of the local Democratic Party, progressive activists and, generally, labor unions. Alvarez received strong backing from all of them when he ran for mayor unsuccessfully in the 2013-14 special election.

In the Assembly race, all of them pretty much went with Gómez. The former council president was backed by Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who vacated the Assembly seat to become head of the California Labor Federation.

Alvarez was not at a loss for powerful friends and resources, however. He was backed by business interests, some of which worked to defeat him in the mayor’s race. He also benefited from a surprising mailer by the local Republican Party attacking Gómez.

After Alvarez was elected in June to serve out the remainder of Gonzalez’s term ending this year, San Diego’s Democratic legislative delegation endorsed him for the full-term election in November — including a couple of members who had backed Gómez.

Despite effectively dropping out of the race, Gómez is still endorsed by the Democratic Party of San Diego County, according to its website.

In the San Diego District 6 council race, much of the Democratic and labor establishment has lined up behind Lee. So has the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, Hough has flipped his position on a top labor and local Democratic Party priority.

In a questionnaire by the San Diego Municipal Employees Association early in the campaign, Hough said he would support allowing the city to charge a trash-collection fee from most singlefamily homes, according to the Voice of San Diego.

Now he says he opposes Proposition B, a November ballot measure to do that.

The 1919 People’s Ordinance prohibits such a fee on single-family residences, though apartment and condominium complexes and businesses must pay to have their trash hauled. Proposition B would overturn that ordinance. Lee supports it.

Hough also has taken on an anti-development campaign theme, according to David Garrick of The San Diego Union-Tribune. This comes at a time when the mayor and Democraticcontrolled City Council are pushing to increase home construction to address a housing shortage.

The district includes Mira Mesa, University City, Kearny Mesa and part of southern Scripps Ranch. The winner will replace termed-out Chris Cate, the council’s last remaining Republican.

That region traditionally had leaned Republican, but is changing along with the rest of the city. The area also has a large Asian American population, which has factored into District 6 politics. Both Lee and Cate are Asian American.

In the 75th Assembly District, Waldron and Voepel don’t differ much on core Republican positions. Both have conservative credentials and high rankings from business organization and Republican-affiliated groups.

Voepel is known for colorful language and tough talk on issues such as homelessness and climate change. His comments supportive of the Jan. 6, 2020 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol drew widespread criticism.

Waldron served as the Republican Assembly leader, and while she’s not reluctant to criticize Democrats, she’s not known for harsh partisan rhetoric. Instead, Waldron focuses more on legislation and California quality-of-life issues, such as the high cost of housing.

As the Union-Tribune’s Wilkens pointed out, the Legislator Tracker compiled by CalMatters lists Waldron as “moderate right,” while placing Voepel on the “right.”

Waldron has vastly more campaign money and support and is expected to prevail in the 75th District, which includes much of East County and North County.

Voepel considers himself to be one of the “best-rated” right-wing conservatives in Sacramento.

Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for the Republican Party, which has endorsed Waldron.