SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The long, and at times contentious, battle to fill the vacant seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is over: Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre has defeated Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, securing the balance of power on the board for the Democrats.
WATCH: Supervisor-elect Aguirre joined ABC 10News on set, reacting to her successful campaign and outlining her policy priorities
Aguirre jumped to an early lead as the first batches of election results dropped Tuesday night. By Wednesday afternoon, she commanded 53.88% of the votes (41,821) to McCann's 46.12% (35,793), per the San Diego Registrar of Voters.
McCann publicly recognized Aguirre as the winner Wednesday morning.
Here's the statement from his campaign:
"I am deeply grateful to all the many volunteers who supported my campaign. Their hard work and dedication mean a great deal to me. Despite the outcome, I am proud that my campaign presented a clear statement in support of reducing the cost of living, getting the homeless off the streets and keeping our community safe. These are the principles that have guided me as Mayor of Chula Vista and will continue to be important objectives as I work on behalf of the city I love.
"I called to congratulate Mayor Aguirre this morning and offer my assistance with the critical challenges facing South County. We have worked closely together to address the ongoing Tijuana River sewage pollution and that environmental crisis will continue to be an important partnership for us. Additionally, I know we will work together on improving South County homeless programs and strengthening public safety."
In a statement released by the Aguirre campaign on Tuesday night, she thanked McCann for a hard-fought race and said she looks forward to working with him and all South County leaders to move the community forward.
"We need bold action to protect against Trump’s Medicaid cuts, clean up the polluted sewage poisoning our communities and finally get serious about putting county funding where it belongs: in our communities to help working families who are struggling," the statement said. "Whether you voted for me or not, I’m ready to work my heart out to bring down costs, protect our health, and deliver results—no matter your income, political party or zip code. We need bold action to protect against Trump’s Medicaid cuts, clean up the polluted sewage poisoning our communities and finally get serious about putting County funding where it belongs: in our communities to help working families who are struggling."
As of Wednesday afternoon, 77,774 ballots had been counted, with the vast majority (75,292 votes) received through the mail. At this point, 2,482 ballots were cast at vote centers.
There are 370,801 registered voters in District 1, so that translates to a roughly 21% turnout for the special election. The registrar reports that roughly 1,300 ballots remained to be counted as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Board of Supervisors is a nonpartisan entity; however, Aguirre's victory gives Democrats the advantage with three seats to the Republicans' two.
County officials have until July 31 to certify the election results.
Aguirre will hold the District 1 seat until the current term ends in Jan. 2029. You can follow this link to find the latest election results from the registrar.
