San Diego Council District 4
Myrtle Cole: 43.94%
Monica Montgomery: 56.06%
100% precincts reporting
UPDATED: 11:49 a.m., Nov. 12, 2018
San Diego Council President Myrtle Cole is hoping to fend off an unexpected challenge from former staffer Monica Montgomery in the race for San Diego Council District 4. The district covers neighborhoods such as Oak Park, Encanto and Paradise Hills.
Cole finished six votes behind Montgomery in the June primary, but mounted a stronger campaign for the November election. She received support from the San Diego County Democratic Party and labor unions, who spent heavily on campaign mailers boosting Cole.
The party has spent almost $68,000 this year to support Cole, including a $10,700 contribution to Cole's campaign. In addition, San Diego Works, a PAC funded by the San Diego Imperial Counties Labor Council, spent more than $91,000 on Cole, and the San Diego Police Officers Association's PAC spent almost $3,900.
RELATED: District 4 Residents Respond To Myrtle Cole’s Poor Election Performance
Both Cole and Montgomery are Democrats, so an upset by Montgomery would not change the political makeup of the City Council. But it would be the first time an incumbent councilmember in San Diego has lost an election since 1991.
Montgomery resigned as a policy advisor for Cole the day after Cole made controversial remarks about racial profiling. She now works as an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.
RELATED: Monica Montgomery On The Race For San Diego City Council District 4
In an interview with KPBS, Montgomery said she is an advocate for criminal justice reform and said if elected, she would implement recommendations set forth in a San Diego State University racial profiling report.
"We also have a difference on economic policies, economic opportunity for residents of District 4," she said.
Cole declined repeated interview requests by KPBS before the election.
