A tight primary contest is shaping up between Democrats Catherine Blakespear and Joe Kerr, who are on the ballot with Republican Matt Gunderson in the June 7 race for the south county’s new 38th State Senate District.
The two candidates who get the most votes in the primary will advance to the November general election, which will decide who’ll represent the district’s nearly 1 million residents in southern Orange County and coastal San Diego County for the next four years.
Since Gunderson, who’s a former car dealership owner from Mission Viejo, is the only Republican on the ballot in a district that leans blue by just six points, it’s expected that he’ll advance to the general election. That likely leaves Blakespear, mayor of Encinitas, and Kerr, a retired fire captain from Coto de Caza, to duke it out for votes to win the remaining slot on the November ballot.
Much of the new SD-38 is now represented by state Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel. But Bates will term out of the state legislature at the end of this year, leaving no incumbent in this race.
Redistricting late last year changed the title of the cross-county district and stretched its boundaries further south into San Diego County while stripping out a slice of coastal Orange County. The new SD-38 now includes an inland swath of southern Orange County starting with Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills. The district then cuts south into coastal San Diego County, picking up cities such as Oceanside, Vista and Carlsbad before ending just below Mission Bay.
Blakespear has an advantage in being the only candidate from the San Diego County side of the district, which accounts for nearly 71% of the district’s voters — and a higher share of registered Democrats. She’s also the only candidate who’s been elected to office, having won her first term on city council in 2014 and three elected terms as mayor.
In terms of her primary fight with Kerr, Blakespear got a boost with an endorsement from the California Democratic Party. She also has support from a long list of Democratic leaders from both counties, including state Treasurer Fiona Ma. Kerr’s list is shorter and largely from Orange County, but it does include some substantial figures, including Rep. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim. Other local Democrats — such as Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, whose congressional district overlaps with SD-38 — endorsed both Blakespear and Kerr.
Polls commissioned by campaigns for Blakespear and Kerr both show a small but random sample of voters favoring Blakespear by eight points when they only were given job titles and party ID, as will appear on the ballot. She held onto a narrow lead in Kerr’s poll even after his surveyors shared negative information around her, such as some controversy around her city’s housing plans.
When the share of surveyed voters favoring either Blakespear or Kerr in both polls is combined — as is possible in November — it shows voters nearly evenly split between those who’d support whichever Democrat advances, those who’d support Gunderson, and those who remain undecided.
To help sway that large share of undecided voters, Gunderson has raised about 15% more than Blakespear so far in this voting cycle, with $473,804 in contributions as of the April 23 vs. $411,820. Kerr is in a distant third with $115,874 in reported donations.
Still, Blakespear had the most cash left ($381,201) heading into the final weeks of the primary season, 9% more than Gunderson and more than six times as much cash as Kerr
Blakespear, 46, has worked as a news reporter and an attorney. But she said, “It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve the residents of my hometown of Encinitas as their mayor for the last six years.”
Asked how she’d measure her success as an officeholder, Blakespear pointed to goals she’s accomplished over the past seven years representing Encinitas.
“I ensured 100% renewable energy for residents, expanded affordable housing opportunities and oversaw a $2 billion trolley line that was completed on time and under budget,” she said. That work has helped her win a number of awards and recognitions, including the 2020 Climate Courage Award from the Climate Action Campaign.
Blakespear’s campaign is focused on helping California fully recover from the pandemic, with a goal to “build an economy that provides good, well-paying jobs.” She’ s also pledging to address the need for affordable healthcare and housing, to help reduce pollution and to work on “cooling the climate.”
Blakespear declined to answer a question that asked her to rank herself on an ideological scale of 1-10, with one being far left.
Gunderson also didn’t respond to the question, while Kerr gave himself a five on that scale.
Kerr spent 34 years as an Orange County firefighter, including 27 years as a captain, before retiring in 2012. He received a number of accolades during his career. He also was the first president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association and vice president of the California Professional Firefighters and the Orange County Central Labor Council.
While Kerr hasn’t held office before, he touts that in his role as a labor leader he championed more than “200 pieces of public safety legislation that were signed by five governors and two presidents.” He also helped negotiate substantial refunds in vehicle license fees for residents.
Kerr ran in a tight race for the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ Fourth District in 2018, missing the top spot by just 454 votes. He announced last year that he’d be running for supervisor again. But after redistricting shuffled boundaries and candidates, he opted to make his first run for state office.
He’s focusing his state Senate campaign on improving public safety, creating affordable housing while preserving single-family neighborhoods, supporting economic equity, and tackling climate change and its impacts, including drought and wildfires.
“As a Senator, I will have an opportunity to pass legislation, bring money back to the district, and appoint local community leaders to positively impact the 38th Senate District,” he said when asked how he’d measure his success in office.
For Gunderson, official support comes from the California Republican Party and he touts endorsements from Bates and former Rep. Mimi Walters.
After moving to Orange County 22 years ago, Gunderson started Infiniti of Mission Viejo, and later added Audi of Mission Viejo and Volvo Cars Mission Viejo. Those businesses, he says, have created more than 185 local jobs. His role also has helped him win appointments to the Audi National Dealer Advisory Board and the Infiniti Dealer Council, where he served as chairman for three years.
After recently selling his auto dealerships, Gunderson jumped into the SD-38 race. He didn’t respond to requests to answer questions about his views on key issues or policy plans if elected. But his campaign website says he aims to focus on “affordability, homelessness, crime, ensuring local control and maintaining our quality of life.”
Kerr and Blakespear agree on a number of key issues along partisan lines. Both said they support abortion rights and the legality of gay marriage. As for government policies to tackle climate change, both Blakespear and Kerr said much more aggressive policies are needed.
They differ on a proposed ban on offshore oil drilling, with Blakespear supporting the idea and Kerr opposing it. When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and government policy, Blakespear supports comprehensive mandates while Kerr supports limited mandates.
Other distinctions are less clear. On the idea of single-payer healthcare in California, for example, Blakespear said she supports it while Kerr skipped that question.
Gunderson didn’t respond to any of those questions.
Elections officials will begin mailing primary ballots to all registered voters May 9. Centers will open for in-person voting starting May 28.
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment