Two legislative seats up for grabs in special elections Tuesday
Voters in the Central Valley and San Bernardino County head to the polls on Tuesday to fill two of the four open seats in the Legislature, as Republicans hope to chip away at the Democratic supermajority in the state Senate and keep them from regaining that advantage in the Assembly.
Among the seats up for grabs on Tuesday is a Central Valley Senate seat once held by Democrat Michael Rubio (D-Shafter), where Republican Andy Vidak faces off against Democrat Leticia Perez.
Vidak was the top vote-getter in a May primary election, falling just shy of the 50% of the vote needed to win the seat outright in the primary.
In Assembly District 52, which includes Ontario, Pomona and Chino, eight candidates are vying to fill the Assembly seat vacated when Democrat Norma Torres (D-Pomona) was elected to the state senate earlier this year.
If no candidate wins 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s Assembly election, the top two vote-getters will advance to a September 24 run-off.
Democrats currently have fallen one seat below the two-thirds threshold in the Assembly. Democrats will retain a two-thirds majority in the Senate regardless of Tuesday’s results.
There are two other vacancies in the Legislature – one in each house – because of the election of Bob Blumenfield and Curren Price to the Los Angeles City Council earlier this year. Both of those seats are expected to be held by Democrats.
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Twitter: @anthonyyorklat
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