Democrats gain upper hand in ‘top 2’ contests
SACRAMENTO — Tuesday’s primary elections didn’t reveal any big surprises in Bay Area races to fill seats in the Legislature, as Democrats received the most votes in those races.
But California’s new “top two” primary, where the top vote-getters move on to the election regardless of party, appeared to be setting the stage for several Democrat versus Democrat battles in November. The Bay Area is a hot spot for such results.
Late returns showed as many as six races for the Senate and Assembly in the fall election may be between two Democrats, including races in San Francisco, San Jose, the Peninsula and in the East Bay. In the contest for a San Jose Senate seat, only two Democrats were on the ballot: Assemblyman Jim Beall, DSan Jose, and Joe Coto, a former member of the Assembly. Beall was leading in the race.
Another Senate race on the Peninsula could also feature two Democrats in the November election, as three Democrats and one Libertarian were the only candidates on the ballot. In early results, Assemblyman Jerry Hill, DSan Mateo, had more than twice the votes of Sally Lieber, a former Democratic Assembly member, who was coming in second.
Four Assembly races appear headed for an intraparty battle in the fall.
Those include the race for a San Francisco and San Mateo County seat, where three Democrats and one Republican were on the ballot. With much of the vote counted, the top two vote-getters were Democrats Phil Ting, the San Francisco city assessor, and Michael Breyer.
The contest for a seat representing Oakland and other parts of Alameda County also had three Democrats and one Republican on the primary ballot. Rob Bonta was leading Abel Guillen in early returns. Both are Democrats.
In the race for another East Bay Assembly seat — comprising much of Hayward, Fremont and Union City — three Democrats, one Republican and one “no party preference” candidate were on the ballot. Democrats Bill Quirk and Jennifer Ong were the top vote-getters in early returns.
And in an Assembly seat covering Marin and Sonoma counties, Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa Rosa, and Democratic challenger Marc Levine were in the top two positions with Allen leading.
Paul Mitchell, a political consultant and owner of the firm Redistricting Partners that has been tracking the intra-party battles that could result from the “top two” primary, said he has long expected to see much of the impact of the new system in the Bay Area.
“It’s at the top of the list because it has districts that are very, very, very Democratic and have very low Republican turnout,” Mitchell said.
Statewide, Mitchell said that there will be more Democrats facing off against other Democrats than Republican versus Republican contests. That’s likely to mean expensive and nasty fall campaigns for seats that used to be decided based on the primary election.
Several Bay Area contests had only one or two people on the ballot, guaranteeing either victory in November or a primary rematch.
Running unopposed were incumbents Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, and Sen. Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley. Both are seeking another four years in the Senate. On the Assembly side, incumbents Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, and Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, faced no opposition.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, and Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, both incumbents, were leading in their re-election bids. Both faced only one other candidate, so the November race will be a replay of the primary contest.
One of the more contested races was an Assembly seat that includes parts of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Solano County and where six candidates — four Democrats, one Republican and one “no party preference” candidate — were on the ballot. In early returns, Republican Mike Hudson and Democrat Jim Frazier were receiving the most votes.
While Democrats are on the cusp of gaining a twothirds majority in at least one house of the Legislature — the Senate — Tuesday’s results did not determine whether that will happen. The issue will be a major point of debate in the November election, though, when that outcome will be decided.