Updated Thursday June 4 at 6pm
Across Santa Cruz County elections for state and federal representation Tuesday night, there are few surprises, and a few expected results.
As of Thursday afternoon, incumbent Rep. Jimmy Panetta led the 19th Congressional District race with 58.5% of the vote. Republican Peter Coe Verbica had 22.7%, while Sean Dougherty, a former Green Party candidate running as a Democrat, had 9.3%.
Incumbent Rep. Zoe Lofgren led the 18th Congressional District race with 52.9% of the vote. Republican Shane Lewis had 32.5%, while Democratic challenger Luis Arreguín had 11.9%.
In the 28th Assembly District, incumbent Democrat Gail Pellerin led with 67.7% of the vote. A similar trend emerged in the 29th Assembly District, where incumbent Democrat Robert Rivas led with 63.4%.
In the crowded race for governor, Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton traded the lead, each hovering around 26% in early returns. By Thursday, those numbers had shifted, with Hilton holding 27.4% and Becerra at 25.7%.
The pair appeared headed to the November general election, advancing from a field of 61 candidates.
Results in Santa Cruz County were more favorable to Democrats, with Becerra receiving 32.13% of the vote and Tom Steyer 30.7%, while Hilton had 16.8%.
In the race for mayor of Santa Cruz, former 3rd District Supervisor Ryan Coonerty led with 50.2% of the vote. The closest candidate behind him was former journalist and educator Ami Chen Mills, who had 18.5%.
“I’m very grateful to all the community members who supported me and volunteered for my campaign,” Coonerty said Tuesday evening. “I feel very good about December, but there are still many votes to count.”
California follows a nonpartisan primary system, meaning that in most races the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election in November.
Candidates who receive more than 50% of the vote, however, win outright.
That could be the case in the two Santa Cruz City Council races, where Scott Newsome received 54.1% of the vote in District 4 and Renée Golder received 65.8% in District 6.
In Monterey County, early results showing incumbent District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church with a 71% lead over challenger Ramon Gomez prompted Gomez to concede late Tuesday.
In a text message to The Pajaronian, Gomez thanked his family, supporters, volunteers, donors and community leaders for their support throughout the campaign.
“While this was not the outcome we hoped for, I respect the voters’ decision,” Gomez said in congratulating Church on his reelection.
“Though we did not win, I am proud of what we accomplished together,” he said. “We brought attention to important issues, including public safety, flood protection, infrastructure, housing and government accountability, while uniting people around a shared vision for our communities.”
District 2 covers North Monterey County, including Pajaro.
In a text message to The Pajaronian, Church called the results a “comfortable win.”
“I appreciate the strong support,” he wrote. “I’m looking ahead to the next four years and finishing the projects on housing, water, infrastructure and more that has been started.”
