This post originally appeared in the Aug. 16 Morning Report. The newsletter gets you the San Diego news and info you need to take on the day. Subscribe today.
San Diego City Councilwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe will advance to a runoff in November in the race to fill a vacant county supervisor seat.
It’s a bit too early to say who may join her: Republican Amy Reichert had a lead of 2,913 votes over Democrat Janessa Goldbeck as of late night Tuesday — a difference of 3.5 percentage points of the total vote. And that lead kept growing.
The numbers: Montgomery Steppe had 40.63 percent of the 79,289 votes counted, as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Reichert had 29 percent and Goldbeck 25.3 percent. Republican Paul McQuigg was behind all three with only 5 percent.
There are 20,000 votes left to count, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. The next results will drop on Aug. 17.
You’ll have to wait: They don’t plan another update until Thursday evening.
What They’re Saying
The candidates are waiting. There’s a lot of waiting.
- “While we wait for every vote to be counted and every voice to be heard — we are feeling optimistic about the future of San Diego County,” Montgomery Steppe wrote on Twitter. She also said the work is far from over in the fight for the county.
- “We are waiting for all the votes to be tallied, but I feel very good about our position and confident I will be on the ballot for the November 7 runoff,” Reichert wrote on Twitter.
Eyes on Montgomery Steppe’s council seat: If Montgomery Steppe is triumphant in November, her City Council District 4 seat will open. That district includes the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park, Encanto, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Paradise Hills, Mountain View and more.
As the Union-Tribune reported, the city would have to hold a special election because there would be more than one year left on her term. The U-T also pointed out that potential candidates for her seat could include Henry Foster, Montgomery Steppe’s chief of staff, local activists Francine Maxwell and Tariq Harris.
On Tuesday night activist Shane Harris wrote on Twitter that he is “#ready” to step up.
Reichert has 30%, the other Republican has 5%. That puts totally unknown GOP at 35% vs 40% for the do-nothing council member who has been there for years. Does not look good for Montgomery.
Just what do you think is going to happen with the 25% who broke for the other Democrat, Goldbeck? Based on current numbers, Montgomery needs less than half of them to go her way in the general. Barring an outright collapse, she will cruise to victory in November.