Irwin, McCoy to face off in swing Ventura County Assembly race
Democrat Jacqui Irwin, a Thousand Oaks City Council member, and Republican Rob McCoy, a conservative pastor, will move on to the November election for a swing Ventura County Assembly seat.
Another Republican, businessman Mario de la Piedra, came up short, according to election results.
The 44th Assembly District, which is being vacated by Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) as he runs for Congress, is almost evenly split in registration between Democrats and Republicans: 37% to 35%, respectively, with 22% of voters stating no party preference.
Democrats see a chance to pick off a Republican seat; their candidate, Irwin, was the fundraising leader among the contenders, raising more than $315,000 through mid-May.
McCoy brought in nearly $220,000 in that time. De la Piedra lagged in the money race, raising slightly more than $100,000.
But De la Piedra received outside help from business groups and wealthy GOP donor Charles T. Munger Jr. They put more than $700,000 into the race to assist his bid.
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