Presidential Primary Election 2020
Our preliminary write-up of the Midterm Election 2018 is also available on our website. Please let us know of any errors in the data.
Summary
- The voter turnout for this 2020 Presidential Primary in San Diego County almost reached 50% based on 907,602 ballots out of 1,825,237 registered voters.
- For U.S. House of Representatives’ California District 50, candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar (Democrat, El Cajon) won with 36.5% (74,121) of the votes and will face former Representative Darrell Issa (Republican, Vista), who had 23.1% (47,036) of the votes, in November. But the party breakdown shows that Republicans won 55.7% (113,154) of the votes while Democrats 42.2% (85,678). The differential between the two parties is 13.5% (27,476).
- For California State Assembly District 75, Assemblymember Marie Waldron (Republican, Escondido) won 56% (71,217) of the votes and will face candidate Kate Schwartz (Democrat, Fallbrook), who won 38% (47,988) of the votes, in November. The differential between the two is 18% (23,229).
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For San Diego Board of Supervisors District 3, Supervisor Kristin Gaspar won 45% (50,781) of the votes and will face candidate Terra Lawson-Remer (Democrat), who won 30% (33,561) of the votes, in November. But the party breakdown shows that the Democratic Party won 54.68% (61,270) of the votes while the Republican Party won 45.32% (50,781). The differential between the two parties is 9.36% (10,489).
Data collected from San Diego County of Registrar and California Secretary of State. Please let us know of any errors in the data.
Voter Turnout in San Diego County
The voter turnout for this Presidential Primary Election 2020 in San Diego County reached almost 50% based on 907,602 ballots. This is 1% less turnout than in 2016, which had 51% turnout, and 11% less turnout than in 2008, which had 61% turnout (the highest turnout for a Presidential Primary of the last 20 years).
Hopefully, the turnout for upcoming General Presidential Election will be better: 2016 had 81% turnout which was 4% higher than in 2012 with 77% turnout, but 3% worse than in 2008 with 84% turnout (the highest turnout for a General Presidential Election of the past 20 years).
As a comparison, in General Midterm Election 2018, we had 66% turnout which was the highest turnout for a Midterm General Election of the past 18 years and 2% higher turnout than in 2010 (the next highest Midterm General Election of the past 18 years).
Midterm Election Turnout
| Primary Midterm Election | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Voters | 1,355,756 | 1,356,018 | 1,416,273 | 1,544,841 | 1,693,774 |
| Total Voted | 452,741 | 505,715 | 538,551 | 420,700 | 673,640 |
| % of Turnout | 33.39% | 37.29% | 38.03% | 27.23% | 39.77% |
| General Midterm Election | 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Voters | 1,399,628 | 1,381,835 | 1,442,161 | 1,546,924 | 1,767,300 |
| Total Voted | 684,285 | 789,676 | 926,363 | 692,434 | 1,173,924 |
| % of Turnout | 48.89% | 57.15% | 64.23% | 44.76% | 66.42% |
Presidential Election Turnout
| Primary Presidential Election | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Voters | 1,304,311 | 1,336,353 | 1,313,725 | 1,465,269 | 1,523,251 | 1,825,237 |
| Total Voted | 693,088 | 621,429 | 797,043 | 548,462 | 775,930 | 907,602 |
| % of Turnout | 53.14% | 46.50% | 60.67% | 37.43% | 50.94% | 49.73% |
| General Presidential Election | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Voters | 1,411,672 | 1,513,300 | 1,488,157 | 1,563,093 | 1,652,875 |
| Total Voted | 978,569 | 1,145,035 | 1,245,947 | 1,202,65 | 1,346,513 |
| % of Turnout | 69.32% | 75.66% | 83.72% | 76.98% | 81.46% |
US House of Representatives: California 50th District
US House of Representatives are elected to 2-years terms. US Congressional District 50 of California includes Escondido.
The recent representative was ? Duncan D. Hunter (Republican, Alpine) who resigned in January 2020 after pleading guilty to intentionally misusing campaign funds. He was a US House of Representative member of California’s 50th District (previously 52nd) since 2009 for 5 two-year terms.
Of former Representative Duncan D. Hunter:
- In 2016: Questioned by the Federal Election Commission about campaign fund use discrepancies which eventually revealed extensive campaign fund misuse including a $600 airfare ✈️ for a pet rabbit ? but refused to resign and continued to run for re-election.
- In 2017: Voted 3 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Voted 3 times for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which failed to pay for itself and resulted in a ballooned & historic deficit.
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In 2018: Indicted of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, falsification of records and prohibited use of campaign contributions ($250,000 of the Hunters’ alleged illegal spending, broken down by type and by who spent it)
- In 2020: Resigned as a Member of Congress and sentenced to 11 months in prison for campaign fund misuse (but has yet to self-surrender to prison for his sentence).
- Former Rep. Hunter sentenced to 11 months in prison
- Ex-California Rep. Duncan Hunter Gets 11 Months In Prison
“Rather than admit his guilt and resign his seat in April 2016, when originally questioned, or even in August 2018, when originally charged, Hunter chose to mislead the more than 700,000 people who reside in the 50th congressional district.”
US CA-D50 Election Results
For the Presidential Primary Election 2020, candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar (Democrat, El Cajon) won with 36.5% (74,121) of the votes and will face former Representative Darrell Issa (Republican, Vista), who had 23.1% (47,036) of the votes, in November.
In 2018, Campa-Najjar narrowed ? Rep. Duncan D. Hunter’s margin to 3% (5,867). Hunter had usually enjoyed on average 30% point advantage against his challengers.
From a political party breakdown, Republicans won 55.7% (113,154) of the votes while Democrats 42.2% (85,678). The differential between the two parties is 13.5% (27,476).
| Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 113,154 | 55.70% |
| Democratic Party | 85,678 | 42.20% |
| No Party Preference | 2,567 | 1.20% |
| Peace & Freedom | 1,821 | 0.90% |
| Differential (1st vs. 2nd) | 27,476 | 13.50% |
Of former Representative Darrell Issa who does not live in the 50th District, but the 49th:
- In 2017: Along with his fellow member ? Rep. Duncan Hunter: voted 3 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act; voted 3 times for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which failed to pay for itself and resulted in a ballooned & historic deficit.
- What the Republican tax bill did – and didn’t – do, one year later
- Companies are paying less after the GOP tax cut, and it’s showing in the deficit
- Republican tax cuts to fuel historic U.S. deficits: CBO
- GOP leader concedes tax cuts may not pay for themselves as 2019 deficit grows
- After 2 Years, Trump Tax Cuts Have Failed To Deliver On GOP’s Promises
- Did the 2017 tax cut-the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act-pay for itself?
- In 2018: Retired from Congress after more than 65 weeks of weekly protests outside his office in Vista. He left a legacy of largely unsubstantiated oversight investigations into former President Obama administration and a failure to hold a later impeached President Trump to the same account for his substantiated financial and personal conflicts of interests and his continuing interference in elections.
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In 2019: Failed to secure a post to lead the U.S. Trade and Development Agency due to his military records where “he received a bad conduct rating and a demotion and that there were allegations he had stolen a fellow soldier’s car”.
Primary Election
| US CA-D50 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Hunter (R) | 76,818 | 67.40% | 62,371 | 70.40% | 86,534 | 56.50% |
| Challenger A (D) | 19,142 | 16.80% | 21,552 | 24.30% | 33,348 | 21.80% |
| Challenger B | 8,553 | 7.50% | 4,634 | 5.20% | 17,590 | 11.50% |
| Challenger C | 6,160 | 5.40% | N/A | N/A | 10,458 | 6.80% |
| Challenger D | 3275 | 2.90% | N/A | N/A | 5,359 | 3.50% |
| Differential (1st vs. 2nd) | 57,676 | 51.00% | 40,819 | 45.70% | 53,186 | 34.70% |
| US CA-D50 | 2018 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Hunter (R) | 62,917 | 47.29% | N/A | N/A |
| Challenger A (D) | 23,687 | 17.79% | 74,121 | 36.50% |
| Challenger B | 17,295 | 12.99% | 47,036 | 23.10% |
| Challenger C | 17,255 | 12.96% | 40,347 | 19.90% |
| Challenger D | 7,538 | 5.66% | 21,495 | 10.60% |
| Challenger E | 2,742 | 2.06% | 11,557 | 4.79% |
| Challenger F | 1,554 | 1.17% | 4,276 | 2.10% |
| Differential (1st vs. 2nd) | 39,230 | 29.50% | 12,239 | 11.03% |
General Election
| US CA-D50 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Hunter (R) | 174,838 | 67.70% | 111,997 | 71.20% | 179,937 | 63.50% | 118,712 | 51.27% |
| Challenger (D) | 83,455 | 32.30% | 45,302 | 28.80% | 103,646 | 36.50% | 112,845 | 48.73% |
| Differential | 91,383 | 35.40% | 66,695 | 42.40% | 76,291 | 27.00% | 5,867 | 2.54% |
US CA-D52 Election Results
Note that from 1993 to 2009, Hunter’s father, ? Duncan L. Hunter, was the representative for District 52. and had also faced a financial corruption allegation where ? Hunter “had written 407 overdrafts totaling more than $129,000 at the House Bank over a three-year period.”:
- Hunter Feeling the Heat Over Kiting Scandal
- The House Bank; Committee Names all Who Overdrew at the House Bank
| US CA-D52 General | 2008 | 2010 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Hunter (R) | 160,724 | 56.40% | 139,460 | 63.10% |
| Challenger (D) | 111,051 | 39.00% | 70,870 | 32.10% |
| Challenger (L) | 13,316 | 4.60% | 10,732 | 4.80% |
| Challenger (I) | 47 0.00% | N/A | N/A | |
| Differential (1st vs. 2nd) | 49,673 | 17.40% | 68,590 | 31.00% |
California State Assembly: 75th District
California State Assemblymembers are elected to 2-years terms, and they are limited to 6 terms (or 12 years combination in state legislature as state senator or assemblymembers). California State Assembly District 75 includes Escondido.
The current state assemblymember, Marie Waldron (Republican, Escondido), has been Assemblymember since 2013 for 3 two-years term. Before that, she was a city councilmember of Escondido for 3 1/2 four-years terms (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010).
Of the then-City Councilmember Marie Waldron:
- In 2006: Authored “an [city] ordinance that prohibited landlords from renting housing to unauthorized immigrants. [16]”
- Targeting Landlords Who Rent to Illegal Immigrants
- Escondido Polarized by Landlord Ordinance
- Lawmaker Voted for State Law Meant to Thwart Local Law She Crafted
The city council had passed the ordinance, but fortunately, “[d]ue to a lawsuit and temporary injunction by a federal judge, the city rescinded the ordinance in December 2006. [17a, b, c, d]” However, her legacy remains: she was part of a city council majority that pursued discriminatory policies toward immigrants and turned Escondido into one of the toughest anti-immigration city in the country.
The city council had passed the ordinance, but fortunately, “[d]ue to a lawsuit and temporary injunction by a federal judge, the city rescinded the ordinance in December 2006. [17a, b, c, d]” However, her legacy remains: she was part of a city council majority that pursued discriminatory policies toward immigrants and turned Escondido into one of the toughest anti-immigration city in the country.
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In 2011: Approved the closure of Escondido East Valley Public Branch Library.
After months of protests, thousands of signatures on petitions and tens of thousands of dollars offered in donations, the East Valley Branch Library will close for good at 6 p.m. today [June 16, 2011].
[…]
The Escondido City Council last week adopted a $74.3 million general fund budget for next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Cuts that balanced the budget without using reserves included the closure of the library, which opened in 1996 in the East Valley Community Center. It serves more than 450 people a day Tuesday through Thursday.
[…]
Members of library support groups felt otherwise, proposing to partner with the city on the branch library by providing $96,000 for next fiscal year. Abed said he could not support a donation that comes with conditions, and that donors could support the library by contributing to the city’s endowment fund.
[…]
“The books are not really the critical service,” [Abed] said.
State Assembly D75 Election Results
For the Presidential Primary Election 2020, Assemblymember Marie Waldron won 56% (71,217) of the votes and will face candidate Kate Schwartz (Democrat, Fallbrook), who won 38% (47,988) of the votes, in November. The differential between the two is 18% (23,229).
Since she first ran for state assembly in 2012, Waldron had usually enjoyed an average 25% point advantage against her challengers. But in 2018, candidate Alan Geraci narrowed the margin to 13% (21,529).
Primary Election
| State Assembly D75 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Waldron (R) | 44,013 | 68.60% | 41,510 | 99.10% | 56,407 | 60.00% |
| Challenger A (D) | 20,180 | 31.40% | 375 | 0.90% | 37,104 | 39.70% |
| Challenger B | N/A | N/A | 14 | 0.00% | N/A | N/A |
| Differential | 23,833 | 37.00% | 41,135 | 98.30% | 19,303 | 20.30% |
| State Assembly D75 | 2018 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Waldron (R) | 56,646 | 61.60% | 71,217 | 56.30% |
| Challenger A (D) | 35,324 | 38.40% | 47,988 | 37.90% |
| Challenger B | N/A | N/A | 7,327 | 5.80% |
| Differential | 21,000 | 23.20% | 23,229 | 18.40% |
General Election
| State Assembly D75 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Waldron (R) | 98,686 | 62.70% | 66,152 | 69.00% | 111,598 | 62.90% | 95,236 | 56.40% |
| Challenger (D) | 58,783 | 37.30% | 29,761 | 31.00% | 65,770 | 37.10% | 73,707 | 43.60% |
| Differential | 39,903 | 25.00% | 36,391 | 38.00% | 45,828 | 25.80% | 21,529 | 12.80% |
San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 3
San Diego County Board of Supervisors are elected to two four-years terms and comprises of five districts. District 3 includes Escondido.
The current Board of Supervisor, Kristin Gaspar (Republican, Encinitas), was first elected to the office in 2016 beating the then incumbent Board of Supervisor Dave Roberts by 0.56% margin (1,272 votes). Roberts was found in 2015 to “inappropriate use of County funds, promoting a hostile work environment, an alleged bribe, campaigning on County time, improper use of a County vehicle and retaliation against District 3 staff members”.
Of Supervisor Kristin Gaspar:
- In 2018:
- Introduced a resolution and voted to join President Trump’s lawsuit against California Sanctuary law which limits instances in which state and local resources are used for immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.
- Joined President Trump at the White House in opposition of California Sanctuary law.
- Gaspar’s off- and on-again history of supporting Trump
- Trump rails against sanctuary city policies; Abed, Gaspar weigh in
- Voice of the Year: Kristin Gaspar:
In joining with the Trump administration over its challenge to California laws, County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar spurred debates about the law itself, the extent to which local officials should weigh in on state-federal disputes and whether the Board of Supervisors’ priorities match those of the people they represent.
- In 2019:
- Joined President Trump again at the White House in support of a border wall.
- Voted again to join another of President Trump’s lawsuit against California Sanctuary law which limits instances in which state and local resources are used for immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.
- In 2020: Called for San Diego County to re-open amid the COVID-19 pandemic before the county met all the set criteria for re-opening. At the time, from April 1 to 30, and even with early & strict state and local public health orders, SDC had reported:
- 2,862 new positive cases
- 634 new hospitalization cases
- 185 new intensive care cases
- 119 new death cases
SDC Board of Supervisors District 3 Election Results
For this Presidential Primary Election 2020, Supervisor Kristin Gaspar won 45% (50,781) of the votes and will face candidate Terra Lawson-Remer (Democrat), who won 30% (33,561) of the votes, in November.
From a political party breakdown, the Democratic Party won 54.68% (61,270) of the votes while the Republican Party won 45.32% (50,781). The differential between the two parties is 9.36% (10,489).
| Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Republican Party | 5,0781 | 45.32% |
| Democratic Party | 6,1270 | 54.68% |
| Differential (1st vs. 2nd) | 1,0489 | 9.36% |
Primary Election
| Board of Supervisors D3 | 2016 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kristin Gaspar (R) | 46,985 | 34.24% | 50,781 | 45.32% |
| Incumbent/Challenger (D) | 53,148 | 38.73% | 33,561 | 29.95% |
| Challenger | 36,899 | 26.89% | 27,709 | 24.73% |
| Differential | 6,163 | 4.49% | 17,220 | 15.37% |
General Election
| Board of Supervisors D3 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| Kristin Gaspar (R) | 115,295 | 50.23% |
| Incumbent/Challenger (D) | 114,023 | 49.67% |
| Differential | 1,272 | 0.56% |