City attorney candidate Jan Goldsmith pulled in 31.72 percent of absentee votes as the first results of this evening’s primary rolled in just after 8 p.m.
Second was incumbent Mike Aguirre with 28.93 percent, followed by Scott Peters with 19.27 percent, Brian Maienschein with 13.81 percent and Amy Lepine, with 6.19 percent.
Though it’s still very early in the evening, the result came as a surprise to Don McGrath, Aguirre’s No. 2, who said he’s here at Golden Hall as Aguirre’s representative. (The incumbent is at his daughter’s graduation in Princeton, N.J.)
“It’s so close, it’s hard to say,” McGrath said. “I’m surprised Peters isn’t doing better.”
Goldsmith was muted in his responses to questions, but a quick smile played at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
I asked him what’s more important at this stage, being so far ahead of Scott Peters or being just ahead of Aguirre.
“At this point, just getting in the runoff is important, because I know there’s going to be a runoff,” Goldsmith said. “I don’t think it makes a big difference one way or another. It’s going to be a runoff.”
“It would be nice to be number one. It really would be,” he added.