All 14 Incumbent Legislators From SBC Seeking Reelection Make It Past The Primary

In the 17 races to represent San Bernardino County in the state and federal legislature held this week in conjunction with California’s March 3 Presidential Primary Election, 14 incumbents were vying.  All of those incumbents captured sufficient votes to compete in the run-off for their respective positions to be held in November in conjunction with the Presidential General Election. That left three races where all those competing were newcomers.
In the race for United States representative in California’s District 8 where the incumbent Paul Cook has decided to leave Washington, D.C. in favor of serving as a county supervisor, current 33rd District Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, a Republican, captured the top spot with 40,127 or 36.13 percent of the vote. Democrat Christine Bubser captured 30,035 or 27.4 percent for second place. Obernolte and Bubser will vie against each other in the November run-off.
Six others competed in the 8th District, a Republican stronghold. Tim Donnelly, a Republican, captured third with 21.34 percent, followed by Democrat Bob Conaway with 6.41 percent, non-aligned Jeff Esmus with 2.69 percent, Democrat James Ellars with 2.48 percent, Republican Jeremy Staat with 1.54 percent, Republican Jerry Laws with 1.47 percent, and Republican Justin Whitehead with 0.89 percent.
In the race for United States Representative in California’s District 27, which extends beyond San Bernardino County, Judy Chu, the Democratic incumbent, captured 4,585 votes cast within San Bernardino County, or 45.63 percent. Johnny Nalbandian, a Republican garnered 3,401 San Bernardino County votes or 33.84 percent. Beatrice Cardenas, a Republican, claimed 17.02 percent and Christian Daly, who expressed no party preference, polled 3.51 percent.
In the contest for United States representative in California’s District 31, Democratic incumbent Pete Aguilar pulled down 63,678 votes or 61.3 percent to Republican Agnes Gibboney’s 40,185 votes, or 38.68 percent.
In the race to represent voters as the United States representative in California’s District 35, incumbent Democrat Norma Torres captured 42,543 votes in San Bernardino County or 68.3 percent, and Republican Mike Cargile received 19,749 votes or 31.7 percent.
In the California’s Congressional District 39 race, San Bernardino County’s voters favored challenger Young Kim, a Republican, with 6,851 votes, or 51.46 percent over the incumbent, Democrat Gil Cisneros, who received 6,008 or 44.86 percent of the votes cast in San Bernardino County. Non-aligned Steve Cox received 3.98 percent of the vote in San Bernardino County.  In District 39 overall, which straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties, Kim is ahead with 62,018 votes or 50.1 percent to Cisneros’s 55,729 votes or 45 percent, followed by Fox with 4.8 percent.
In State Senate District 21, incumbent Republican Scott Wilk captured 27,231 votes or 57.87 percent in San Bernardino County, more than three-and-a-half times more than the 7,764 votes or 16.5 percent for Democrat Kipp Mueller. Warren Heaton, a Democrat, was third with 11.94 percent, followed by 9.37 percent for Dana Lamon, another Democrat. Steve Hill, a fourth Democrat in the race, polled 4.32 percent.
In State Senate District 23, which covers a portion of both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, five candidates vied to replace Republican Mike Morrell, who is being termed out at the end of the year. Democrat Abigail Medina was the top vote-getter in San Bernardino County with 31,872 or 29.51 percent. Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh captured second with 29,297 or 27.13 percent. Republican Lloyd White managed to bring in 17.74 percent and Democrat Kris Goodfellow had 16.7 percent. A third Republican in the contest, Cristina Puraci, pulled down 8.91 percent. Districtwide, Medina topped Bogh 44,330 or 26.9 percent to 41,418 or 25.1 percent.
In State Senate District 25, where Democrat Anthony Portantino is running unopposed, he gathered 9,211 votes or 97.98 percent in San Bernardino County.
In the State Senate District 29 race, incumbent Republican Ling Ling Chang claimed 7,037 San Bernardino County votes, or 53.31 percent. Democrat Josh Newman received 3,649 or 27.65 percent in San Bernardino County. Joseph Cho, a Democrat, captured 19.04 percent of the San Bernardino County vote. Districtwide, including Orange, Los Angeles and San Berrnardino counties, Chang was ahead of Newman 73,284 votes or 49 percent to 49,288 votes or 32.9 percent.
In the race to succeed Republican Jay Obernolte in Assembly District 33, a mix of four Democrats and three Republicans competed. Republican Thurston Smith came out on top, with 27,724 votes or 38.57 percent. Rick Herrick, also a Republican, garnered 12,571 votes or 17.49 percent for second place, meaning the Democrats are locked out of the race for the Assembly in District 33 in November. Democrat Socorro Cisneros captured 13.51 percent, followed by Blanca Gomez, a Democrat, with 10.17 percent and Anthony Rhoades, another Democrat, with 8.56 percent. Roger La Plante, also a Democrat, polled 6.57 percent. Republican Alex Walton claimed 5.18 percent of the vote.
In Assembly District 36, which covers only a small portion of San Bernardino County, Republican incumbent Tom Lackey comfortably outdistanced the seven others in the race with a whopping 68.68 percent of the vote in San Bernardino County, translating to being chosen on 2,827 ballots. Capturing second in San Bernardino County was Democrat Steve Fox with 499 votes or 12.12 percent. Johnathon Erwin, a Democrat, received 5.9 percent; Lourdes Everett, a Democrat, received 3.33 percent; Michael Rives, a Democrat received 1.48 percent; Democrat Eric Ohlsen received 2.31 percent,  Democrat Diedra Greenaway received 3.38 percent and Democrat Ollie McCaulley garnered 2.79 percent.
In the contest for Assembly District 40, Democratic incumbent James Ramos outdistanced Republican Jennifer Tullius, 42,473 votes or 58.33 percent to 30,346 votes or 41.67 percent.
In the race to represent Assembly District 41, of which less than one third lies in San Bernardino County, incumbent Democrat Chris Holden, with 10,253 votes or 47.82 percent from San Bernardino County voters, lost in San Bernardino County to Republican challenger Robin Hvidston, who claimed 11,189 votes or 52.18 percent of those cast in San Bernardino County. In the district overall, however, Holden was comfortably outdistancing Hvidston 66,973 or 67.1 percent to 32,899 or 32.9 percent.
In State Assembly District 42, where incumbent Chad Mayes, formerly a Republican, is now running as an independent, he is being challenged by a Republican and a Democrat. In San Bernardino County, Mayes, with 8,118 votes or 33.66 percent, was bettered by Republican Andrew Kotyuk, who received 9,833 votes or 40.78 percent. Deniantionette Mazingo, the Democrat in the race, polled 6,164 votes from within San Bernardino County or 25.56 percent. Throughout all of District 42, which crosses into Riverside County, Mayes fared better, capturing 34,217 votes or 35.9 percent for first place to Kotyuk’s 32,282 votes or 35.9 percent. Mazino had 30.3 percent.
In Democratic-friendly Assembly District 47, incumbent Democrat Eloise Gomez Reyes, with 37,528 votes or 70.37 percent, trounced Republican challenger Matthew Gordon, who received 15,804 votes or 29.63 percent.
In Assembly District 52, incumbent Democrat Freddie Rodriguez outpolled Republican Toni Holle on the San Bernardino County side of the district divide, 23,079 votes or 63.73 percent to 13,129 votes or 36.25 percent. Rodriguez fared even better districtwide, with 32,261 votes or 67.5 percent to Holle’s 15,502 or 32.5 percent.
In Assembly District 55, covering San Bernardino, Orange and Los Angeles counties, Republican incumbent Phillip Chen, received 7,423 votes or 57.21 percent in San Bernardino County, and Democratic challenger Andrew Rodriguez received 5,551 votes or 42.79 percent. In the entirety of the district, the overall vote went Chen’s way as well, 47,034 or 57.7 percent to Rodriguez’s 34,498 or 42.3 percent.

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