The field of candidates running to represent Boyle Heights and other parts of Los Angeles in Congress was narrowed from 24 down to two in a special election Tuesday.
Final results are still being tallied but as of Wednesday morning State Assemblyman Jimmy Gómez is the front-runner with 28% of the vote. Gómez was the favorite going into Tuesday with the backing of prominent Democratic Party politicians including Mayor Eric Garcetti, County Supervisor Hilda Solís, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the former Congressman whose departure from the seat spurred the election.
Robert Lee Ahn, a lawyer who sits on LA’s Planning Commission, is polling in second place and is expected to go on to a June 6 runoff election. Ahn would be the only Korean American in Congress if he were elected.
At least three candidates with ties to Boyle Heights ran in Tuesday’s election. Maria Cabildo, Wendy Carillo, and Arturo Carmona all fell short of going on to the June 6 election. Cabildo came the closest garnering just over 9% of all ballots cast, but Ahn holds a strong lead over her. He sits at 19% of total votes. Carmona and Carillo both polled at 5%.
Final results have not been certified yet but voter turnout sits just under 10%. A news release out from the County Registrar says 29,407 ballots have been processed but there are still more left to be counted. An updated count is set to be announced Friday. Official results are expected to be certified April 13.
Photo above: María Cabildo (left), Arturo Carmona and Wendy Carrillo were the three candidates with ties to Boyle Heights that ran for the 34th congressional seat.
