Super Tuesday not so hot for several Latino candidates; low voter turnout didn’t help

If your name is Carlos Villapudua, Rodrigo Espinosa or Joe Soria, the primary election was not kind to your candidacy.

Villapudua abandoned his Assembly seat to seek a jump to the state Senate, but not enough voters in District 5 chose him to replace the termed-out Susan Eggman-Talamantes.

Espinosa, the two-term Merced County Supervisor, lost his re-election bid outright.

Soria, a small business owner who doubled the fundraising by his Tulare County supervisor, came up way short in his race.

Villapudua, Espinosa and Soria were among Latino candidates that were sunk in the primary election. Election experts believe a dismal voter turnout rate, especially among Latinos, doomed some of them.

Money didn’t appear to be a problem, as Soria and his sister, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, found out. His sister raised $1.8 million for her re-election but finished second to a newcomer in Assembly District 27. (She will move on to the November election).

Also, in another Tulare County supervisors’ race, Benny Corona raised $70,450 to the incumbent Pete Vander Poel’s $37,382. Corona lost 4,490 votes to 1,275.

Here is how other Latinos fared throughout California in the primary.

So much for political dynasty

Villapudua, who was elected to Assembly District 13 in 2020, could have run for re-election. Instead, he sought to move up to the state Senate while his wife, Edith Villapudua, campaigned for his Assembly seat.

Both lost. The Assemblymember, who raised $950,000, finished third among three candidates and out of the runoff. His wife, who raised $700,000, finished last among three hopefuls for his Assembly seat.

Moving on up

There were successes – outside of Carlos Villapudua – where Latino Assemblymembers made the November runoff for state Senate seats.

Democrat Sabrina Cervantes in District 31 and Eloise Gómez Reyes in District 29 are among four Assemblymembers who will face voters in November for a chance to move to the state Senate.

Latino incumbents who advance in the state Senate race include Democrats S. Monique Limón (21st District) and Lena A. González (District 33), and Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (19th District).

Latinos in the final two for state Senate include Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín (District 7), and Alhambra Vice Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez (District 25), who are Democrats.

Republican Latinos in the state Senate final include Former Assemblymember Suzette Valladares (District 23), business owner Carlos A. García (District 29), educator Cynthia Navarro (District 31), and accountant Mario Paz (District 33).

Assembly: Six races pit Latino against Latino

There will be at least six Latino candidates elected in the state Assembly. That’s because the runoffs in six races feature a pair of Latinos.

They are: Democratic incumbent Joaquín Arámbula and Republican Solomon Verduzco (District 31); Coachella Valley school board member José ‘Joey’ Acuña Jr., a Democrat, and businessman Jeff González, a Republican (District 36); San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodríguez, a Democrat, and attorney Victoria García, a Republican, (District 43); Etiwanda school board member Robert García and Fontana school board member Adam Pérez, both Democrats (District 50); Democratic incumbent Lisa Calderón and Whittier City Councilmember Jéssica Martínez, a Republican, (District 56); and, Democratic incumbent Blanca Pacheco and pest control manager Raúl Ortiz Jr., a Republican, (District 64).

Licensed psychotherapist Leticia Castillo, a Republican, has qualified for the District 58 runoff. Democrats Clarissa Cervantes and Ronaldo Fierro, both Democrats are battling for the second runoff spot with a 168-vote difference in results as of publication deadline.

Democratic incumbents in the November race include Cynthia M. Aguiar-Curry (District 4), Mía Bonta (District 18), Liz Ortega (District 20), Esmeralda Soria (District 27), Robert Rivas (District 29), Juan Carrillo Ventura (District 39), James C. Ramos (District 45), Blanca Rubio (District 48), Rick Chávez Zbur (District 51), Mark González (District 54), Sharon Quirk-Silva (District 67), Avelino Valencia (District 68), Kate Sánchez (District 71), and David A. Álvarez (District 80).

Republican incumbents in the runoff include Josh Hoover (District 7), and Juan Alanis (District 22).

Other Latinos in the runoff include Contra Costa school board member Anamarie Ávila Farias (District 15), real estate worker Manuel Noris-Barrera (District 17), Los Ángeles County Commissioner Ricardo Ortega (District 34), businessman Robert Rosas (District 35), construction manager Tony Rodríguez (District 44), justice advocate Franky Carrillo (District 52), public safety commissioner Michelle Rodríguez (District 53), Assembly district director Mark González (District 54), businessman Efren Martínez (District 57), restaurant owner Alfonso Hernández (District 61), Lynnwood Mayor José Luis Solache (District 62), police officer Joshua Rodríguez (District 69), and Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vásquez (District 79).

Congress: Salas gets rematch against Valadao

Eyes will be in the 22nd Congressional District where Republican incumbent David Valadao will face a rerun of the 2022 race when he faces former Democratic Assemblymember Rudy Salas. Two years ago, Salas got 28,000 votes in the primary to lead a four-candidate field. This time, he got 8,000 votes as the vote totals dropped from two years ago.

Latino incumbents on the November ballot include Salud Carbajal (District 24), Raúl Ruiz (District 25), Pete Aguilar (District 33), Jimmy Gómez (District 34), Norma J. Torres (District 35), Linda T. Sánchez (District 37), Robert García (District 42), Nanette Díaz Barragán (District 44), Lou Correa (District 46), Mike Levin (District 49), and Juan Vargas (District 52).

Republican incumbent Mike García (District 27) will be on the November ballot.

Democratic Assemblymember Luz María Rivas is a finalist in District 29.

Former Democratic Congressman Gil Cisneros will face lawyer Daniel José Bocic Martínez in District 31.

Republican finalists include small business owner Peter D. Hernández (District 18).