District 3 supervisor race heads to runoff

“I am really grateful for the early polls results and excited at the prospect of continuing the campaign into the general election,” Mueller said, who thanked his supporters and wife, Kristen, for their support while watching the results come in at the Dutch Goose in Menlo Park. “We are going to continue to work hard to bring our campaign to every doorstep in District 3.”

On the campaign trail, the candidates have shared similar perspectives on some of the main issues affecting District 3, the county’s largest district geographically with just under 150,000 inhabitants spread out across miles of rural wooded areas and coastal land. Like other parts of the county, the area is now challenged by sea level rise, drought and increased risk of wildfire paired with other concerns like housing and homelessness and a post-pandemic economic recovery.

If votes hold, Mueller and Parmer-Lohan will have months to continue their pitch to the county, Mueller as a candidate interested in bringing the supervisor office to the coastside, an area he believes could be better sold to tourists, and Parmer-Lohan as a working mother concerned for the planet’s future.

While Mueller was endorsed by notable figures such as U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto; California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; current San Mateo County supervisors Dave Pine and Warren Slocum and labor, nursing and firefighter groups, Parmer-Lohan raked in the support from the district’s outgoing supervisor, Don Horsley, and his predecessor Rich Gordon, among her own union group supporters.

“We’ve run a really positive campaign on my vision to address climate change and the unique perspectives of working mothers and the response from voters has been terrific,” Parmer-Lohan said, who held a small gathering at Domenico Winery and Osteria in San Carlos. “We’re in the early stages but I’m hopeful about how the results are trending.”

Election results included in Tuesday night’s tally include mailed ballots before Thursday, June 2, and vote center ballots from Election Day. The post-election results releases will be at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9; Friday, June 17; Monday, June 13; Tuesday, June 21; Wednesday, June 15; Thursday, June 23. The final results will be available Thursday, July 7.

Virginia Chang Kiraly, a member of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District Board and the San Mateo County Harbor District Board of Commissioners, is in third place with 2,406 votes, or 17.72%. Despite her vote deficit, she said she remains optimistic the tides will change.

“Obviously, we were hoping for higher results,” Chang Kiraly said, who spent the evening at home with family and close supporters. “It’s going to be a long time but I’m going to wait and see what happens.”

Steven Booker, political director and community affairs liaison for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union, is in fourth with 2,026 votes, or 14.92%.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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