Republican Andrew Hayes has taken a 560-vote lead over Democrat Kevin Juza in the race for second place in the 75th Assembly District and will likely challenge Republican firebrand Carl DeMaio in the general election.
Hayes passed Juza to move into second on Saturday, according to updated vote totals released by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters.
DeMaio, a former San Diego City Council member and two-time congressional candidate, has criticized Hayes as a “go-along, get-along Republican because that’s the type they want up in Sacramento.”
But Hayes, president of the Lakeside Union School District Board of Trustees, has countered that he is “tired of people who just complain loudly and don’t deliver anything.”
“My job is to make government work for you, not to just scream loudly,” he said at a debate with DeMaio in January. “Just complain is not what I want to do.”
Hayes has 22,172 votes, or 18.7%. Juza, a small business owner, has 21,612 votes, or 18.2%, in the six-candidate race.
DeMaio leads the race to succeed Assemblywoman Marie Waldron with 51,357 votes, or 43.2%.
A total of 54,000 mail ballots remain to be counted across the county, but it was unclear how many are from the sprawling district in East County.
The top two finishers, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.
Hayes was endorsed by the San Diego County Republican Party and Waldron, who is barred from running for reelection because of term limits.
City News Service contributed to this article.
