Editor's Note: Live election updates will be added as they become available.
5:50 p.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Reporter analysis: Local and statewide updates from California's primary election
While votes in California's primary election are still being counted across the state, there's already a clearer picture of what many statewide races will look like in November.
Jacob Aere, KPBS Speak City Heights reporter joined Midday Edition to talk about the race for San Diego County Sheriff and California Assembly District 80.
And Marisa Lagos, correspondent with KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk, also joined to talk about the latest statewide election results.
"We are seeing crime and public safety be top of mind in these local races, but I'm not sure we know whether that's going to be a main sort of concern in things like congressional races, or it doesn't seem like it will be in statewide races given how strong folks like (Attorney General Rob) Bonta and (Governor Gavin) Newsom performed," Lagos said. "But in general, it's going to be a long road between here and November."
Read more. — Emilyn Mohebbi, Andrew Bracken, Harrison Patiño, Jade Hindmon, Megan Burke / KPBS
6:55 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Martinez, Hemmerling headed for a November runoff in sheriff race
County Undersheriff Kelly Martinez and former city prosecutor John Hemmerling are headed for a November runoff after emerging as the top two vote-getters in the race for sheriff.
Martinez topped the seven-candidate field in Tuesday's election to secure a spot on the runoff in the race to succeed longtime sheriff's department head Bill Gore, who retired earlier this year.
Hemmerling landed in second place to earn a spot in the runoff with Martinez.
Martinez told 10 News that Tuesday's results "really felt good honestly, because it's been a long year."
Martinez added that it was encouraging to place so far ahead in the race.
Hemmerling told 10News that he would look at overall campaign strategy "to see what we'll have to do to get a big win in November." Read more.— City News Service6:50 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Fletcher advances to runoff to maintain county supervisor seat
Democratic County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher will advance to a November runoff election in his bid to maintain the District 4 seat, and he will face off against Republican challenger Amy Reichert, who finished a distant second behind Fletcher in Tuesday's election. Read more. — City News Service6:44 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Three incumbent San Diego City Council members advance to runoff
Three incumbent San Diego City Council members easily advanced to a November runoff election in their bids to retain their seats, while two candidates will vie for an open seat in the District 6 race.
In District 2, incumbent Jen Campbell will face dentist/professor Linda Lukacs in the November. They outpaced former Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, who placed third, and three other candidates.
In District 4, meanwhile, incumbent Monica Montgomery Steppe will face off in November against Gloria Evangelista.
District 8 Councilwoman Vivian Moreno had only one challenger in the race, Antonio Martinez, and both will advance to the November general election.
In the District 6 race, nonprofit director Kent Lee and Tommy Hough will advance in their bids to replace termed-out Councilman Chris Cate. Read more. — City News Service6:35 a.m., Wednesday, June 8, 2022
McCann to advance to Chula Vista Mayor race runoff
Chula Vista City Councilman John McCann will compete in the November runoff election in the race to become the city's mayor, likely squaring off against former congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar.
As of Wednesday morning, McCann led Chula Vista Mayor race with 31.4% of the vote. Former congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar trailed behind in second place with 29.1%.
With ballots still being tallied, Campa-Najjar holds a roughly 460-vote lead over fellow candidate Jill Galvez.
The candidates are looking to succeed termed-out Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. McCann is a city councilman for Chula Vista and deputy mayor. Read more. — City News Service10:41 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Results for four main races in San Diego County
Here are the early results in the four main races we are tracking in the San Diego County primary election:
San Diego County Sheriff — Undersheriff Kelly Martinez has a significant lead with 39.5% of the early vote. John Hemmerling is in second with 19.9% and Dave Myers is in third with 18.4%.
80th Assembly District — David Alvarez is leading fellow Democrat Georgette Gómez in the special runoff race for a state Assembly seat in the South Bay, but trailing by a small margin in the primary race for the same seat.
In the run-off, Alvarez is leading 55.7% to 44.3%. Voters then chose who they preferred in a primary to represent the district for a new term beginning in December 2022. In that race, Gómez currently has 35.9% of the vote to Alvarez’s 32.5%.
San Diego City Council District 2 — San Diego Councilwoman Jen Campbell currently has a wide lead with 32% of the vote. Linda Lukacs is in second place with 23.8%. Lori Saldaña is third with 18.7% and Joel Day is fourth with 13.1%.
Chula Vista Mayor — City Councilman John McCann is the current leader with 30.9% of the vote. Ammar Campa-Najjar in is second place with 22.1%. Close behind Campa-Najjar is Councilwoman Jill Galvez with 20,7%. Zaneta Encarnacion is fourth with 11.4%.— KPBS News10:35 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
San Diego City Council incumbents ahead in primary race
Early results Tuesday evening showed the City Council Districts 4 and 8 incumbents leading, and a close race between two District 6 candidates, according to the county Registrar of Voters website.
Incumbents Monica Montgomery Steppe and Vivian Moreno — representing council districts 4 and 8, respectively — are heavy favorites to reach the November runoff election. Steppe was at 70.91%, or 7,251 votes, while Moreno was at 63.22%, or 5,196 votes.
In the District 6 race, nonprofit director Kent Lee was in first place at 38.85% or 5,651 votes, followed by Tommy Hough, at 38.63% or 5,618 votes. Jane Glasson rounded out the candidate hopefuls with 22.52% or 3,275 votes.
Steppe is facing minor challenges from Gloria Evangelista — at 22.24% or 2,274 votes — and Tylisa Suseberry, at 6.85% or 700 votes.
Moreno is facing a rematch with 2018 opponent Antonio Martinez, who was in second place at 36.78% or 3,023 votes. — City News Service10:32 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Alvarez leads in special runoff, trailing in primary race
With early votes counted, David Alvarez is leading fellow Democrat Georgette Gómez in the special runoff race for a state Assembly seat in the South Bay, but trailing by a small margin in the primary race for the same seat.
Gomez and Alvarez are squaring off in a two-for-one election in the 80th District. The first is a run-off election to fill the term after the seat was vacated earlier this year by Lorena Gonzalez. Alvarez is leading that race 55.74%% to 44.26%
Reached Tuesday night, Alvarez said he was surprised with his early lead in the special election.
“I focused on winning the election in the special, I mean it's actually as simple as it gets,” he said. “Because that means that I get to be the assemblymember and start serving this community that's been underserved, because of a lack of representation, for the last six months.”Voters then chose who they preferred in a primary to represent the district for a new term beginning in December 2022. In that race, Gómez currently has 35.89% of the vote to Alvarez’s 32.49%.
KPBS could not reach Gomez directly Tuesday night, but in a campaign statement she said:
"I’m grateful for the strong support our campaign earned all across South County tonight in this unique election with two campaigns on the ballot … While we are behind in the special election, there remain thousands of votes yet to be counted, and we are in first place in the regularly scheduled election.”
The primary ballot also includes a pair of Republicans, Lincoln Pickard and John Vogel Garcia. Pickard garnered 12.33% of the early votes and Garcia 19.28%
To further complicate matters, people who lived in the 2011 district boundaries can vote for the special election candidates, but the standard election primary is only for those who live in the updated 2021 district boundaries.
Whoever wins the special runoff will take over the district after results are certified within 30 days. The November winner will represent the district for the next two years. — Jacob Aere, KPBS9:32 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Fletcher Ahead in District 4 Supervisor Seat
Early results Tuesday evening show county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher leading a three-candidate race with 63.67% of the vote and likely headed for a November runoff with second-place vote-getter Amy Reichert, a Republican, in the District 4 race, according to the county Registrar of Voters website.
Fletcher, a Democrat who was first elected in 2018 to the District 4 seat, was leading with 43,392 votes. Reichert was in second place with 27.24% (or 18,564 votes). Sidiqa Hooker was a 9.09% (6,195 votes).
Fletcher currently serves as chairman of the Board of Supervisors, as well as chairman of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and vice chairman of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. He has the endorsements of Gov. Gavin Newsom, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and the San Diego County Democratic Party, among others. — City News Service9:25 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Bonta on pace to face GOP challenger in AG race
California’s Democratic attorney general was on pace to face the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate in the November general election in a state that overwhelmingly favors Democrats.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, the only Democrat in the five-way primary field, advanced with 58% of the vote. He was trailed by the GOP’s endorsed candidate, Nathan Hochman, with 17%. Hochman is a former federal prosecutor and former assistant U.S. attorney general.
Conservative Republican Eric Early was third, with 14%. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, running a no-party-preference campaign, had 8% of the vote. Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz had 3%. — Associated Press9:21 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Campbell has wide lead in District 2 race
Early results show Councilwoman Jen Cambell leading in the race for San Diego City Council’s District 2 seat.
Cambell currently has a wide lead in the five-candidate field with 32% of the vote.
Linda Lukacs is in second place with 23%. Lori Saldaña is third with 18% and Joel Day is in fourth with 13%.
District 2 includes Clairemont, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Point Loma and Old Town.
The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s primary move on to the November general election.
Campbell said she feels confident going into the November election.
“I think it’s going to be OK,” she said. “Of course, we will work very hard and we just want to continue serving our district and our city.” — Gustavo Solis, KPBS9:12 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
McCann edges Campa-Najjar in early returns
With early votes counted, Chula Vista Councilman John McCann has an 8-point lead over Ammar Campa-Najjar in the city’s mayoral race.
“I believe that we will make the runoff and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will continue to be first place,” McCann said.
McCann currently has 30% of the vote in the six-candidate race. Campa-Najjar in is second place with 22% of the votes. Close behind Campa-Najjar is Councilwoman Jill Galvez has 20%. Zaneta Encarnacion is fourth with 11%.
“It would be a dream come true to represent the city that I grew up in and have so much that I owe this great city,” Campa-Najjar said.
The top two vote-getters in June’s primary election move on to the November general.
Mayoral candidates have promised to complete the multi-billion bay front development project, bring a four-year university to the South Bay, and correct the city’s deficit spending. — Gustavo Solis, KPBS
9:10 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Undersheriff Kelly Martinez takes early lead
With early votes tallied, undersheriff Kelly Martinez is leading in the primary to be San Diego County’s next sheriff.
With 19.7% of the votes counted, Martinez garnered 39.49% of the initial returns. John Hemmerling is on top in a tight race for second with 19.9% of the vote. Dave Myers is in third with 18.38% of the vote. The other four candidates are trailing by a significant margin.
On Tuesday night, Martinez sounded confident about her position.
“I'm just really grateful to the voters and all my supporters,” she said. “I think San Diego’s ready for a sheriff that's like myself, that believes in transparency and accountability and public safety and moving forward with all the initiatives we’ve been doing.”
Meanwhile, Hemmerling said on Tuesday night he liked the small lead he had.
“I’m feeling good, I was very optimistic going into the night and so far so good,” he said. “It's still early results but there was a lot of ballots counted already, so we're looking pretty positive.”
San Diego hasn’t had a new sheriff in more than a decade since the 2011 election of Sheriff Bill Gore, who retired earlier this year.
Sheriff is a nonpartisan race, but party politics are still playing an important role. That’s due to the candidates' declared party preferences and the partisan divide over policing practices and funding.
The other candidates on the ballot include Charles “Chuck” Battle, John “Gundo” Gunderson, Jonathan Peck and Juan Carlos “Charlie” Mercado.
The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s election will advance to a November runoff election.
— Jacob Aere, KPBS8:59 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Alvarez leads in special runoff, trailing in primary race
With early votes counted, David Alvarez is leading fellow Democrat Georgette Gómez in the special runoff race for a state Assembly seat in the South Bay, but trailing by a small margin in the primary race for the same seat.
Gomez and Alvarez are squaring off in a two-for-one election in the 80th District. The first is a run-off election to fill the term after the seat was vacated earlier this year by Lorena Gonzalez. Alvarez is leading that race 55.74%% to 44.26%
Voters then chose who they preferred in a primary to represent the district for a new term beginning in December 2022. In that race, Gómez currently has 35.89% of the vote to Alvarez’s 32.49%.
The primary ballot also includes a pair of Republicans, Lincoln Pickard and John Vogel Garcia. Pickard garnered 12.33% of the early votes and Garcia 19.28%
To further complicate matters, people who lived in the 2011 district boundaries can vote for the special election candidates, but the standard election primary is only for those who live in the updated 2021 district boundaries.
Whoever wins the special runoff will take over the district after results are certified within 30 days. The November winner will represent the district for the next two years.
— Jacob Aere, KPBS
8:55 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Newsom, Padilla cruise to easy primary victory
Gov. Gavin Newsom has cruised to an easy primary victory. Early returns Tuesday showed the first-term Democrat with 59% of the votes to advance to a runoff in November.
His likely opponent will be little-known Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle. He was a distant second with 18%.
Newsom looked vulnerable last year after more than 1.7 million voters signed a petition to recall him from office.
But he easily defeated that recall and now is an overwhelming favorite to win re-election.
In the U.S. Senate primary, Democratic incumbent Alex Padilla — who Newsom appointed to the seat vacated by Kamala Harris — easily advanced to a November runoff.
His likely opponent will be Republican attorney Mark Meuser.— Associated Press8:42 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Campbell has wide lead in District 2 race
Early results show Councilwoman Jen Cambell leading in the race for San Diego City Council’s District 2 seat.
Cambell currently has a wide lead in the five-candidate field with 32% of the vote.
Linda Lukacs is in second place with 23%. Lori Saldaña is third with 18% and Joel Day is in fourth with 13%. — Gustavo Solis, KPBS8:38 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
McCann edges Campa-Najjar in early returns
With early votes counted, Chula Vista Councilman John McCann has an 8-point lead over Ammar Campa-Najjar in the city’s mayoral race.
McCann currently has 30% of the vote in the six-candidate race. Campa-Najjar in is second place with 22% of the votes. Close behind Campa-Najjar is Councilwoman Jill Galvez has 20%. Zaneta Encarnacion is fourth with 11%.
The top two vote-getters in June’s primary election move on to the November general.
Mayoral candidates have promised to complete the multi-billion bay front development project, bring a four-year university to the South Bay, and correct the city’s deficit spending. — Gustavo Solis, KPBS
8:23 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Undersheriff Kelly Martinez takes early lead
With early votes tallied, undersheriff Kelly Martinez is leading in the primary to be San Diego County’s next sheriff.
With 19.7% of the votes counted, Martinez garnered 39.49% of the initial returns. John Hemmerling is on top in a tight race for second with 19.9% of the vote. Dave Myers is in third with 18.38% of the vote. The other four candidates are trailing by a significant margin.
San Diego hasn’t had a new sheriff in more than a decade since the 2011 election of Sheriff Bill Gore, who retired earlier this year.
Sheriff is a nonpartisan race, but party politics are still playing an important role. That’s due to the candidates' declared party preferences and the partisan divide over policing practices and funding.
The other candidates on the ballot include Charles “Chuck” Battle, John “Gundo” Gunderson, Jonathan Peck and Juan Carlos “Charlie” Mercado.
The top two vote-getters in Tuesday’s election will advance to a November runoff election.
— Jacob Aere, KPBS
8 p.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2022
Polls now closed; low turnout expected
The polls are now closed. In a few minutes, we will start to have early returns.
With so many convenient voting options for this year's primary election, voters, it seems, aren't voting. Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes is anticipating anywhere from 30 to 40% turnout.
"Last year we saw a 60% turnout," she said. "So I thought that interest would still be out there since this is the governor’s race, but it did seem to wane a little bit." — Alexander Nguyen, KPBS
