George Radanovich has conceded the race for Assembly District 8 to David Tangipa.
Tangipa, who held a sizable lead since election night in the contest, will head to Sacramento to succeed Asm. Jim Patterson (R–Fresno) in the Legislature.
The big picture: Tuesday’s ballot processing update took Tangipa to a 53.3% to 46.7 % lead over Radanovich in the race.
- The latest vote count as of Tuesday morning has Tangipa leading Radanovich by over 12,000 votes.
Driving the news: In many ways, the contest for District 8 represented the City of Fresno’s influence over the district, which includes north Fresno and Clovis while spanning to the Nevada border to include parts of Calaveras, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne Counties.
- While Radanovich brought name recognition with him given his time in Congress from 1995 to 2011, Tangipa had Patterson’s endorsement and the support of key Fresno figures, including Mayor Jerry Dyer, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni. He was also endorsed by all five Clovis City Councilmembers.
What they’re saying: Radanovich called Tangipa on Tuesday night to congratulate him on the win after the latest round of ballots were processed.
- Radanovich released a statement Wednesday saying he will continue to serve and work on behalf of the people throughout the district.
- “Now is the time to come together as Republicans and focus on defeating the far-left policies that plague our state, making living here less safe and unaffordable. I will offer any help I can to David as we tackle these problems,” Radanovich said. “Finally, I’d like to thank the voters of the 8th Assembly District for their consideration, the supporters of my campaign for their steadfast support, and everyone who volunteered. I would not be here without you.
What we’re watching: This may not spell the end for Radanovich’s political aspirations. He ran for Senate District 4 two years ago but split the vote with several other Republicans to place third in the primary.
- That allowed former Democrat Marie Alvarado-Gil (R–Jackson) to win the general election against another Democrat, Tim Robertson.
- Radanovich could potentially challenge Alvarado-Gil in two years.
