Primary 2012: Incumbents Schiff, Liu, Gatto finish first

June 6, 2012 12 AM PT

There were no surprises in Tuesday’s primary election for local representatives to U.S. Congress, the state Assembly and Senate, with incumbents showing strong leads and contested races carrying over to the November election.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) led his six contenders in the 28th district Congressional race, with 59.5% of the vote. Closest to Schiff is Republican Phil Jennerjahn, with about 17% of the vote. As in all the contests, the two leading vote-getters will be on the ballot in November, regardless of their party affiliation.

Patrick Boland, Schiff’s spokesman, said the congressman was “gratified by the broad level of support across the new 28th District and looks forward to the general election in November.”

“Throughout the campaign, he’s been pleased by the welcoming spirit of the communities in his district and is excited to connect with more voters in the coming months,” he said.

In the closely-watched 30th Congressional District race, which covers a portion of Burbank, Rep. Brad Sherman topped Rep. Howard Berman with 42% of the vote. Berman’s tally was 34%.

Incumbent State Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) beat her two challengers, Republican Gilbert Gonzalez and Democrat Ameenah Fuller, with 53% of the vote. Gonzales was just behind Liu with 41%, while Fuller had 5%.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) topped longtime Glendale Unified school board member Greg Krikorian with 56% of the vote for a seat representing the redrawn 43rd Assembly District.

Krikorian had a small gathering at his house, made up of about 25 friends, family and campaign helpers as results rolled in, he said Tuesday night.

“We’re really encouraged by the first results; it’s a sign of our 22-plus years of community service,” he said. “We know there’s a long way to go.”

The results show that voters want change, he said.

“It shows we’re not currently happy with the direction the state is going in,” he said. “We’re excited and we’re encouraged by the upcoming results.”

Krikorian goes after Gatto’s Assembly seat

-- Tiffany Kelly, Times Community News

Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly