When Vietnam War Veteran Milton arrived at San Marcos City Hall Tuesday, he was excited to vote.
Before dropping off his ballot, Milton went inside the polling area to make sure the signature on his ballot looked okay (his pen had started running out of ink while he was signing it).
“I have to make sure it counts,” Milton said.
He’s lived in San Marcos for about 25 years, and one of the races he’s most invested in is the District 5 County Supervisor race. Top candidates are San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones and Vista Mayor John Franklin, both Republicans, and former County Democratic Party Chair Kyle Krahel. Jim Desmond is termed out of the seat and is now running for the 48th Congressional District.
Milton voted for Jones, he said, mainly because of her track record.
“I think she’s a public servant rather than doing things based only on politics,” he said. “I’ve watched her serve as mayor and she’s always been true to her word and actually does the things she says she’ll do.”
Heidi and her husband, also San Marcos residents, decided to vote for Franklin.
“We used to live in Vista, and we’ve always agreed with Franklin’s policies, especially on homelessness,” Heidi said. “And I think he’ll do a good job of bringing that to the whole county.”
One voter went a different direction. Isabella told Voice of San Diego that she’s been living in San Marcos for about four years. She voted for Krahel because she strongly disagrees with some of the messages and policies that Jones and Franklin promote.
“I disagree with both of them on a lot of their policies, like their views on immigration and ICE,” she said. “Franklin also often targets trans women, and that’s not something I can support.”
Franklin and Jones are both generally supportive of cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, or ICE, and are against sanctuary policies. And Franklin has previously been outspoken about keeping trans women out of women’s restrooms and locker rooms.
The race for District 5 supervisor has become one of the key races in the region this year. If a Democrat wins the General Election in November, Democrats will have a fourth seat on the board, creating the first-ever supermajority where they’ll be able to pass key items like budget amendments without needing Republican support.
And on the right, this race has become about more than just the Board of Supervisors; it has deepened the divide between the County Republican Party and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio.
DeMaio and his political action group, Reform California, are backing Jones. The local party — despite a majority of its Central Committee members favoring Franklin — failed to make an endorsement. Now, DeMaio and local party members are in a power struggle for the future of Republican politics in the region.
