Caballero led race in all four counties in the Assembly
district
Gilroy – Preliminary results indicated Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero will represent the Democratic party on the fall ballot for the 28th District Assembly seat.
As of press time Tuesday, Caballero was leading her opponent, Watsonville Councilwoman Ana Ventura Phares, in all four counties of the district. Early voter returns showed Caballero ahead with 61 percent of the vote. In San Benito County, she led with 75.8 percent of the vote. She captured 62 percent of the vote in Santa Clara County, 57 percent in Monterey County and 60 percent in Santa Cruz County.
The primary is widely viewed as an early coronation of the next assembly representative in the heavily Democratic 28th district, though the winner must still face Hollister businessman Ignacio Velazquez, the sole GOP candidate.
The November winner will replace Assemblyman Simon Salinas (D-Salinas), who is vacating the seat to run for a supervisor position in Monterey County.
Caballero, the fourth-term mayor of Salinas, focused her campaign on restructuring the priorities of state funding and early-childhood education, which she sees as a tool to prevent violence and keep kids in school. She is the Executive Director of Partners for Peace, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing gang violence.
Ventura Phares concentrated her campaign on securing greater funds for K-12 education, as well as health care and insurance for working families.
