Chu Leading in 49th Assembly District Primary

Monterey Park Councilwoman Judy Chu surged ahead of Alhambra Mayor Daniel R. Arguello in early counting Tuesday in the special primary election to fill the Assembly seat that represents East Los Angeles and parts of the west San Gabriel Valley.

With absentee ballots and 16 of 108 precincts counted, Chu had 6,220 votes or 66%, and Arguello had 2,425 votes or about 26% as they competed for the 49th District Assembly seat. That seat was vacated by Gloria Romero, who was elected to the state Senate.

Chu and Arguello are Democrats. A third Democrat, Alhambra school board member Robert Miranda, 57, had picked up 498 votes, while Libertarian candidate Kim Goldsworthy, 44, had 253.

“I hope the people responded to my message that I represent a multiethnic coalition--bringing people of different backgrounds together,” Chu said. “It looks pretty good. It would be pretty difficult for them to catch up now.”

Darrell Alatorre, Arguello’s campaign manager, however, said Chu’s lead after the absentee votes came as no surprise and he expected things to change later.

If no one receives a majority of the vote, the top Democratic vote-getter will face off against Goldsworthy in a July 10 runoff. The Democrat is expected to win easily in this overwhelmingly Democratic district, where no Republican entered the race.

Chu, 47, an instructor of psychology at East Los Angeles College, was making her third bid for the seat. This time, she received endorsements from prominent Latinos such as Sheriff Lee Baca and Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) and raised more than $300,000 for her campaign.

Arguello, 53, a former aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre, had the support of the Legislature’s Latino Caucus and state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles). The Vietnam veteran also won support from Asian and white community leaders.

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Times staff writer Ofelia Casillas contributed to this story