Republican Sam Blakeslee defeated Democrat John Laird in Tuesday’s closely-watched state Senate race, keeping the highly coveted seat vacated by Republican Abel Maldonado in GOP hands.
The unofficial election results have the San Luis Obispo Assemblyman in front of the former Santa Cruz Assemblyman by nearly 5 percentage points.
“I’m very excited,” said Blakeslee, who was celebrating victory late Tuesday with supporters in his hometown. “I’m deeply aware of the challenges of the state. Tomorrow we roll up our sleeves and go back to work.”
The 15th District seat, which opened up when Maldonado was appointed lieutenant governor this spring, gave Democrats the opportunity to gain another vote in the Senate and potentially control the state’s prickly budget negotiations. The stakes summoned millions of dollars in special interest money and even an endorsement from President Barack Obama.
“This election presented a stark contrast of views of how to address the state’s problems,” Blakeslee said Tuesday. “People are deeply concerned and troubled about the overspending in Sacramento and Washington…. (My campaign) talked about the need for balancing the budget without tax increase after tax increase.”
With 100 percent of election precincts reporting, Blakeslee won 48.8 percent of the vote to Laird’s 44.1 percent. Independent candidate Jim Fitzgerald of Nipomo won 5.1 percent of the vote while Libertarian Mark Hinkle of Morgan Hill won 2 percent.
An untold number of mail-in votes turned in on Election Day still needed to be counted early today, but the results are unlikely to sway the outcome.
Despite the oddly timed election, residents in the sprawling Senate District – which runs from Santa Clara County to Santa Barbara County – turned out to vote in relatively high numbers, according to preliminary reports from elections officials.
“The polls have been busy,” said Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin. “Because the race has been talked about and it’s been on the news … I think more people are aware of the race and more likely to act.”
In the June 22 primary, Blakeslee fell just short of winning the Senate election outright. He beat Laird by 7 percentage points, but failed to get the majority needed to avert a runoff.
The campaigns have fought bitterly for the advantage since Maldonado stepped down in April. In a flood of attack ads during the past few months, Blakeslee supporters have accused Laird of being too eager to tax and spend while Laird backers have said Blakeslee is too willing to cut funding to schools and social programs.
Blakeslee will take office as lawmakers confront California’s nearly $20 billion budget shortfall. The Legislature is already 49 days late with a budget.
A Laird victory would have put Senate Democrats within a vote of having the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass a budget – and tax hikes – without Republican support. The Blakeslee victory buys Republicans breathing room.
Contributors to the candidates as well as business and labor groups, aware of the consequences of the election, have poured more than $5 million into the race. Earlier this month, the White House weighed in, giving a nod to Laird.
“You not only have to look at the intensity in this race, but the activity that went into this to see that everybody understood the importance,” said Larry Gerston, a professor of politics at San Jose State University and resident of the 15th District.
Blakeslee’s Assembly seat is not expected to be filled until the November elections.