San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones is leading in San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 5 race, with Democrat Kyle Krahel in second place and Republican John Franklin
The top two vote getters will advance to the general election in November.
Why it matters
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is supposed to be nonpartisan. But party politics have always played a role in the board’s decisions.
Before 2020, the five-member board was a conservative stronghold. Democrats took over when Nora Vargas and Terra Lawson-Remer won seats that year.
This year's election could give Democrats a 4-1 supermajority, further shrinking Republicans’ influence in county politics.
By the numbers
Five people are running to replace Republican Jim Desmond in District 5: two Democrats, two Republicans and an independent. Desmond is termed out and is running for Congress to replace Darrell Issa.
The frontrunners, however, are Jones, Krahel and Franklin with Norma Contreras and Sasha Miller rounding out the pack.
For Republicans, the race is essentially a bellwether between the county GOP establishment and Carl DeMaio's Reform California PAC. Neither Jones nor Franklin got enough votes for the county's party endorsement. Jones, however, has been endorsed by Reform California.
On the Democratic side, Krahel has the San Diego Democratic Party's endorsement.
Looking ahead
It is likely that either Jones or Franklin will face off against Krahel in the general election. If that happens, it will be a test of whether Republicans are still viable candidates in county politics.
“I feel relieved after an hour of waiting for results, but it’s my first time running for office, and it’s very exciting," Krahel said after seeing the results. "I just want to serve my community that I grew up in.”
However, if Jones and Franklin both move on to the November ballot, it will show that Democrats have a way to go in connecting with North County and rural voters, who lean conservative.
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.
