SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre took an early lead over Chula Vista Mayor John McCann in the Board of Supervisors District 1 race, according to Wednesday morning results.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, and with about 70,000 ballots counted so far, Aguirre leads McCann 53% (about 37,000 votes) to 47% (about 33,000 votes).
The County Registrar of Voters indicated about 9,500 ballots have yet to be counted; McCann would need to get more than 7,000 of the remaining ballots to pull ahead in the race.
All eyes have been on the District 1 race since Nora Vargas stepped down from the seat in January. She announced her departure in December, weeks after winning reelection in November.
The District 1 Supervisor seat covers a large part of San Diego County’s southern region, and about 650,000 people live in District 1.
Some of the county’s biggest issues are crucial there, like the sewage crisis, homelessness, and affordable housing.
The Board of Supervisors is non-partisan, but an Aguirre win would give the board three Democrats to go with two Republican supervisors.
On Tuesday, both camps held watch parties as results trickled in. While neither side declared victory, both sides acknowledged Aguirre’s initial lead and the fact that they would continue to work together regardless of who wins.
"Absolutely; look forward to continuing to work with him in this different capacity. Grateful to him for a hard-fought campaign,” said Aguirre. “We will continue to work together, we have worked in the past together. The work doesn't end here; the work barely starts."
"Paloma and I actually went back to Washington, D.C., to help raise money at the White House and Congress together,” said McCann. “I’m willing to work with anybody as long as we want to focus on results and having solutions."
County officials have until July 31 to certify the election results.
If the current numbers hold, Aguirre will fill the position until the current term ends in January 2029.
