Carl DeMaio held a comfortable lead against fellow Republican Andrew Hayes and three Democrats Tuesday and appeared set to advance to the general election in a high-profile state Assembly race that could be an all-Republican affair, early election returns show.
In another key Assembly race, three Democrats — La Mesa Councilmember Colin Parent, Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez and LaShae Sharp-Collins — were squaring off to see which would end up on the November ballot. Parent held a nearly 10-point lead based on partial results Tuesday evening.
By the time the polls closed, county election officials had tallied more than 384,000 ballots, which would make for turnout of nearly 20 percent. But with thousands of ballots left to be counted, the Registrar of Voters anticipates eventual turnout of 35 to 45 percent.
San Diego County voters weighed in on six contested state Assembly races, as well as one state Senate race, during Tuesday’s primary election. The top two vote-getters in each district will advance to the fall runoff, regardless of political party.
In the 78th Assembly District, incumbent Chris Ward was unopposed. And in a few other districts, the primary was little more than a practice run — with only two candidates on the March ballot, both were guaranteed to advance on to the general election.
That’s the case in the lone local state Senate race, taking place in the central 39th District, where Toni Atkins is terming out. Current Assemblymember Akilah Weber, a Democrat, and Republican Bob Divine, a retired Navy commander, will both be on the November ballot.
In South County, although early results showed incumbent David Alvarez, a Democrat, leading against challenger Michael Williams, a retired Navy officer, in the race for the 80th Assembly District, both will also advance.
And in the 74th Assembly District, which represents parts of North County and southern Orange County, Republican incumbent Laurie Davies was trailing her Democratic challenger Chris Duncan, the San Clemente mayor who ran unsuccessfully against her in 2022, in the San Diego County portion of the district. They will face off again in November.
But in other local Assembly races, candidates were still fighting for their spot.
In a crowded race for the open 75th Assembly District seat — which spans inland North and East County — three Republicans and three Democrats were competing to represent a district that has favored Republicans.
With Marie Waldron facing term limits, both the state and county Republican party endorsed Hayes, an aide to state Sen. Brian Jones.
But early partial results Tuesday night put DeMaio, a former San Diego City Council member and congressional candidate, more than 20 points ahead of Kevin Juza, his closest rival. Hayes was running in third based on early partial results, as Jack Fernandes, a biotech entrepreneur, trailed.
The California Democratic Party, labor groups and local officials lined up behind Juza, a small-business owner, who was leading the other two Democratic candidates. If Christie Dougherty, a teacher, or Joy Frew, a retired government employee, siphon off enough votes, two Republicans could advance to November.
The Juza campaign said that it was cautiously optimistic with the first round of results dropping. “We are continuing to monitor the election results and look forward to taking on Carl DeMaio in the general election,” it said in a statement.
In the 79th Assembly District, which stretches from southeastern San Diego to El Cajon, Parent was leading the two other Democrats running to replace Weber as she runs for state Senate. Sharp-Collins, an educator, was endorsed by Weber and the state Democratic Party, while Parent had the endorsements of several local Democrats.
“Tonight’s election results are a testament to the collective voice of our community that is calling for real change,” he said after the first results dropped.
In the 76th Assembly District, which stretches from northern San Diego into North County, three candidates ran to replace termed-out Brian Maienschein, who is running for San Diego city attorney.
Republican Kristie Bruce-Lane — a businesswoman who narrowly lost to Maienschein in 2022 — faced Democrats Darshana Patel, a scientist and Poway Unified school board member, and Joseph Rocha, a Marine officer and attorney.
Bruce-Lane led the charge in early vote totals, with Patel running in second about 15 points behind her.
Democratic incumbent Tasha Boerner faced two challengers in her coastal 77th Assembly District. But both Democrat Henny Kupferstein, an autism researcher, and Republican James Browne, a financial adviser, were trailing Boerner early Tuesday.
Staff writer Caleb Lunetta contributed to this report.
