In a crowded field of primary candidates vying to replace long-time Democratic Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, early returns posted Tuesday night show Republican Jeff Gonzalez leading the pack, with several Democratic candidates still vying for a spot to advance to the general election. Gonzalez is in the lead with 9,034 votes, or 32.7% of more than 27,000 votes cast in the race to represent Assembly District 36, covering the eastern Coachella Valley.
With more votes to be reported, several Democratic candidates remained in the mix for the next spot to advance to the November election: Jose "Joey" Acuña Jr. was in second place with 5,143 votes, or 18.6%, while Edgard Garcia was close behind him with 4,584 votes, or 16.6%. The five Democratic candidates were collectively getting 57% of the votes to the two Republicans' 43%.
The crowded field emerged after Garcia, a Democrat from Coachella who was first elected to the California Legislature in 2014, confirmed late last year he would not seek re-election, saying he wants to spend more time with his children after many years of commuting to Sacramento. His announcement came days after the deadline passed for incumbents to file for re-election.
Since California’s latest round of redistricting, Garcia has represented Assembly District 36, which includes Coachella, Indio, the rest of the eastern Coachella Valley and, beyond that, eastern Riverside County all the way to the Arizona line. The sprawling district also includes all of Imperial County and a sliver of eastern San Bernardino County. In 2022, Garcia won re-election against Republican Ian Weeks — who’s a candidate in the 25th Congressional District this year — with 53.4% of the vote.
Seven candidates in total — five Democrats and two Republicans — ran in the primary. Under California's voting system, the top two finishers in the primary, regardless of party, will advance to the November general election. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 5.
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