Richard Bailey and Nicole Crosby are leading as the top two candidates in San Diego City Council District 2, with third-placed candidate Josh Coyne trailing by double digits.
Bailey told KPBS on election night that the city's budget was a motivating factor for his campaign, and that current city leadership needs to cut spending.
"They've allowed the city essentially to become a jobs program now where you have a very bloated city government that's really causing the structural deficit to exist," Bailey said. "And we need to change that."
Crosby told KPBS she is proud of the election results and proud to be a city employee.
"I have prosecuted hate crimes, prosecuted gun crimes, protected victims of domestic violence and elder abuse," Crosby said. "I am actually here for the people and making sure that any of the development we do — make sure that we have the infrastructure to sustain it."
San Diego City Council District 2 stands out in the June primary election for two main reasons: the number of candidates on the ballot and the amount of money being spent in the race.
Seven candidates are vying to replace termed-out incumbent Jennifer Campbell. District 2 includes Clairemont, Mission Beach, Midway, Ocean Beach and Point Loma.
Nicole Crosby, a deputy city attorney, and Josh Coyne, chief of staff for the Downtown San Diego Partnership, are the two main Democrats running in District 2. Both secured high-profile endorsements and raised enough money to mount a serious campaign.
Richard Bailey, a business owner and former mayor of Coronado, far surpassed his opponents in fundraising despite entering the race relatively late. Bailey changed his party affiliation from Republican to independent within days of launching his campaign.
Mandy Havlik, a community activist, ran in the district in 2022 and has found support among residents frustrated by development and short-term home rentals. Jacob Mitchell, Paul Suppa and Mike Rickey also made the ballot but have run smaller campaigns.
Why it matters
District 2 is home to Midway Rising, a massive development plan for the 49-acre Sports Arena property in the Midway District. The next councilmember in the district could play a key role in the final deal, which has not yet gone before the City Council.
The district also shows how San Diego Republicans and conservatives are hungry for a candidate to support in city politics. All the city's elected officials have been Democrats since 2022.
By the numbers
Between Jan. 1 and May 16, Bailey had raised $228,761.97 this year. That's more than seven times the $29,982 that Crosby raised in the same time period. Coyne raised $25,127.15 and loaned his own campaign $30,000. Havlik raised $11,793 and loaned her campaign $23,000.
The District 2 race has also been marked by high amounts of spending by independent expenditure committees, also called super PACs.
Labor unions and the San Diego County Democratic Party raised $60,000 this year to oppose Bailey's candidacy. Two super PACs formed to support Bailey — one with $200,000 from a single individual, Steven Richter, and another with $30,000 mostly from business groups.
A super PAC supporting Coyne raised $234,300 this year from a variety of sources including a labor union and Midway Rising developer Brad Termini.
Looking ahead
The top two finishers in the primary will compete in a runoff election on Nov. 3.
If Bailey makes the runoff, Democrats will likely attempt to tie him to President Trump and the national Republican Party. That strategy worked in 2018, when a Democrat unseated a Republican incumbent in District 2.
Counting the ballots
According to the County Registrar of Voters, the first returns available around 8 p.m. on election night only include mail-in ballots and vote center ballots received before Election Day.
After that, results on election night will include only the vote center ballots cast on Election Day. The Registrar continues to count remaining ballots and post returns until the election is certified one month later.
Here's everything you need to know about election security in San Diego County.
