Reportedly, Democrat Assemblyman James Ramos, who was unopposed in the March 5 California Primary, will face a Republican candidate who will be on the ballot opposing him in November.
While the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has not provided a confirmation, it appears that as a write-in candidate, Scott Olson, has qualified his candidacy in what will be a run-off in the general election.
According to the official finalized results released by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Office, Olsen received 334 total write-in votes, or 1.04 percent, consisting of 267 votes that came in by mail ballot, 66 lodged at polling places and one provisional vote. That compared with the 32,160 votes or 98.96 percent for Ramos, of which 28,528 came in by mail, 3,096 were placed at the polls and 155 were provisional.
Olson, a Republican, was included as an official write-in candidate in the 45th Assembly District race, which paralleled what had occurred, for instance, in the race to represent the 6th District on the San Bernardino City Council, in which the incumbent, Kimberly Calvin, failed to qualify as a ballot candidate but did run as a write-in hopeful, and Sharon Lyn Stein, a Republican, who ran as a write-in candidate in California’s 50th Assembly District.
While the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has not provided a confirmation, it appears that as a write-in candidate, Scott Olson, has qualified his candidacy in what will be a run-off in the general election.
According to the official finalized results released by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Office, Olsen received 334 total write-in votes, or 1.04 percent, consisting of 267 votes that came in by mail ballot, 66 lodged at polling places and one provisional vote. That compared with the 32,160 votes or 98.96 percent for Ramos, of which 28,528 came in by mail, 3,096 were placed at the polls and 155 were provisional.
Olson, a Republican, was included as an official write-in candidate in the 45th Assembly District race, which paralleled what had occurred, for instance, in the race to represent the 6th District on the San Bernardino City Council, in which the incumbent, Kimberly Calvin, failed to qualify as a ballot candidate but did run as a write-in hopeful, and Sharon Lyn Stein, a Republican, who ran as a write-in candidate in California’s 50th Assembly District.
The operative difference between, on one hand, Olson and, on the other, Calvin and Stein is that Olson managed to finish in second place. In San Bernardino’s Sixth District, under the electoral rules in place as a consequence of the San Bernardino City Charter, Mario Flores won the race outright by capturing a majority of the votes cast on March 5, that being 939 or 52.25 percent, out distancing former Councilwoman Bessine Richard, who captured 585 votes or 32.55 percent. Calvin polled 273 write-in votes, or 15.19 percent. In the 50th Assembly Senatorial race, Stein, as a Republican, was competing against three non-incumbent Democrats – Robert Garcia, Dejonae Shaw and Adam Perez. While Stein did receive 397 votes or 0.92 percent of the vote, she was substantially outdistanced by the others. Garcia, with 18,176 votes or 41.95 percent of the vote, captured first to qualify for a run-off against Perez, who managed to collect 12,557 votes or 28.98 percent. Shaw placed 12,194 votes or 28.15 percent for third place.
In state offices, a candidate cannot capture the post competed for by prevailing in the primary. Rather a runoff is held between the two top vote-getters.
Olson said he has no delusions about being able to beat Ramos in November. In the first place, registration in the 45th District greatly favors Democrats. Registered Democrats total 116,339 or 46.6 percent of the total 249,724 voters in the district, compared to the 56,889 voters or 22.8 percent. The number of voters unaffiliated with any party is 53,733 or 21.5 percent, just below the number of Republicans. The remaining 9.1 percent are members of the American Independent, Peace & Freedom, Libertarian, Green or other more obscure parties.
Moreover, Ramos is fabulously wealthy. As a member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which owns and runs a casino in Highland, Ramos earns a reported $18,000 per day. He has personal wealth he can apply to his electoral campaign.
While he does not expect to win, Olson told the Sentinel that he intends to raise “all those issues where I think the Republican platform is far superior to that of the Democrats. I will stand for conservative values and point out where I think the progressive or liberal approach to government, particularly in California, is wrong and contrary to the interests of the people who live here.”
-Mark Gutglueck
In state offices, a candidate cannot capture the post competed for by prevailing in the primary. Rather a runoff is held between the two top vote-getters.
Olson said he has no delusions about being able to beat Ramos in November. In the first place, registration in the 45th District greatly favors Democrats. Registered Democrats total 116,339 or 46.6 percent of the total 249,724 voters in the district, compared to the 56,889 voters or 22.8 percent. The number of voters unaffiliated with any party is 53,733 or 21.5 percent, just below the number of Republicans. The remaining 9.1 percent are members of the American Independent, Peace & Freedom, Libertarian, Green or other more obscure parties.
Moreover, Ramos is fabulously wealthy. As a member of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which owns and runs a casino in Highland, Ramos earns a reported $18,000 per day. He has personal wealth he can apply to his electoral campaign.
While he does not expect to win, Olson told the Sentinel that he intends to raise “all those issues where I think the Republican platform is far superior to that of the Democrats. I will stand for conservative values and point out where I think the progressive or liberal approach to government, particularly in California, is wrong and contrary to the interests of the people who live here.”
-Mark Gutglueck