Second shot for state senate hopefuls

Dem Party post-primary endorsement caucus offers uneven results in two East Bay state senate races; Ballot measure could upend Oakland Police Commission; Pleasanton eyes water bond

East Bay state senate hopefuls (clockwise): Jovanka Beckles, Jesse Arreguin, Tim Grayson, and Marisol Rubio.

ELECTION 2024

182 days to Election Day

—SECOND CHANCES—Democrats in two contested East Bay state senate races received a second shot at winning the state party’s valuable endorsement over the weekend.

—In the Oakland-Berkeley-Alameda 7th State Senate District, Jesse Arreguín easily won the top two March Primary without the Democratic Party’s imprimatur.

—The California Democratic Party offered no endorsement in the primary race, although Arreguín came close.

—In the do-over for the state senate race on Saturday, Arreguín won the post-primary party endorsement with 64.71 percent of the vote. The threshold for the fall endorsement was 60 percent.

SD7 POST-PRIMARY RESULTS

• Jesse Arreguín 55 votes (64.71%)

• Jovanka Beckles 29 votes (34.12%)

• No Endorsement 1 vote (1.18%)

—Arreguín heads into the fall campaign already holding several advantages over Democrat Jovanka Beckles, the primary runner-up.

Arreguín holds a large fundraising advantage, widespread establishment and labor backing, and now the party’s seal of approval.

—MISSED OPPORTUNITY—In the 9th State Senate District that mostly includes Contra Costa County, in addition to San Leandro, Castro Valley, and other nearby unincorporated areas, the post-primary outcome was the same as the pre-endorsement caucus result in October.

—Marisol Rubio received more party support than Tim Grayson last fall, but her Democratic rival was able to block her from gaining the requisite percentage of votes to win the endorsement.

—Grayson defeated Rubio by 20 points in the primary, and they will meet in a rematch in November.

—But, although Rubio again received the most votes at the post-primary caucus on Saturday, she fell just short of eclipsing the 60 percent threshold.

SD9 POST-PRIMARY RESULTS

• Marisol Rubio 46 votes (55.42%)

• Tim Grayson 34 votes (40.96%)

• No Endorsement 3 votes (3.61%)

—The result is more bad news for Rubio’s campaign. Like Beckles in SD7, Rubio is at a major fundraising disadvantage against Grayson, a current member of the state assembly.

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